Heroes Come in All Shapes and Sizes
by Lunrav14
Summary: The Skylanders have always been made up of the greatest heroes and heroines of Skylands. We all come from different places, have different backgrounds, and possess different powers, but we all have the urge to stop evil in its tracks. I've always looked up to them. I just didn't think I'd be up next to them.
1. Prologue

First off, to anyone who's been following me-I'M ALIVE! Sorry for being gone for, like, a year *dodges rocks and bottles*. And as you can see, this is not the fandom I usually do, but I'm gonna switch it up a bit.

To the rest of you, hi, and I'm Lunrav14. This fanfic is my first for this category, and originally, it was supposed to be just for myself. But then I got bored and wanted to see what everyone else thought. So, now I'm here. None of the original Skylanders will come in during the prologue, but please bear with me. I don't own Skylanders.

Please enjoy.

* * *

 **Prologue**

I was born small. And I mean small. While most elves are born around one foot long, I was half that size. I wasn't weakly or sick, just small. That's been my life story ever since. I was always the shortest in the room, the one who had to look up at her peers while she stayed the size of a child. Even today, I'm no taller than three feet. It's not necessarily a bad thing, however, being small. It just becomes inconvenient at times.

"Hailey...," I called, trying to keep up with my significantly taller friend, her red hair whipping behind her. Hailey was my age, but was also a full foot taller than me with considerably longer legs. She must not have heard me, effortlessly gaining speed and putting even more distance between us. Attempting to put less distance between us, my foot caught a root and I fell to the ground, landing flat on my face. Thankfully, the thick snow broke my fall, the powdery crystals being thrown into the air by the impact. Pushing myself up, I looked around at the empty forest, the small footprints the only indicator that anyone had come through recently. Sighing, I got to my feet and slowly followed the footsteps, not bothering to try and catch up.

My name is Pixie Icela, fourteen years old and an oddity. Well, an oddity in the terms of my appearance at least. It's probably due to the fact that while my mother is a wood elf with deep green skin and bright blue hair, my father is a frost elf with blue skin and light red hair. Of course, due to the randomness of genetics, I ended up looking like neither of them in any way, shape or form.

Let me explain.

I have light green skin, the color closer to new spring shoots than the mature summer leaf green of most wood elves, with the skin around my lips tinted blue. My hair is a light turquoise, reaching the middle of my back in gentle waves. Like the average frost elf, I sport pupils and irises the color of ice in my eyes, although they are slightly pointed at the ends like a wood elf and tend to glow. My ears are disproportionate to my body, large and curved out beyond my head. And as I mentioned earlier, I'm really, really small.

See what I mean? But enough about that. Back to the story.

The pine trees loomed overhead as I made my way through the forest, the branches heavy with midwinter snow. I lived in the Cloudbreak Islands of Skylands, a section long known for its wonder and magic. Specifically, I lived in the Winter Isles region, made up of four large islands circled by dozens of smaller ones. The Frostfest mountains were toward the north, always surrounded by fierce blizzards and home to the yetis. The Boney Islands to the south, home to a wonderful outdoor museum and the location of the best fish markets in all of Cloudbreak. The Winter Keep was to the west, our stronghold against all invaders since frost elves called the Winter Isles home. The island we were on, the Ice Forest Island, was the largest island by far, full of wildlife, trees, and lots of small villages. Our capital was also located in the Ice Forest, directly in the center of the island, far from its perilous edges.

The Winter Isles were cold year round, so the ice and snow never truly melted. I don't remember the temperature ever rising above freezing. Our clothing reflected the wintery climate. I wore a high-necked, long sleeved dress that pleated into a crystal like skirt, stopping just below my knees. The fabric was as white as the surrounding snow and warmer than fur, spelled to trap in heat. My pants were blue, and according to my mother, the color of the bluebirds from her homeland. On my feet were a set of white lace up boots that stopped short of my knees, lined with soft sheep wool. Despite the cold, however, I shunned wearing a hat or gloves.

After following Hailey's footprints for some time, I began to hear the shouts of children, the laughter of young couples, and the scrape of metal upon ice. Coming to a large clearing, a large pond came into my view, frozen year round and the most popular ice skating spot in all of the Winter Isles. Hailey, already skating hand in hand with her boyfriend, spotted me on the sidelines and waved enthusiastically. I waved back, although with a little hesitation. Pecking her boyfriend on the cheek, she skated over to me, quickly turning to avoid crashing into the trees.

"Hey Pix," Hailey said, calling me by my preferred nickname. "Why don't ye come ontae the ice?"

"Um...I...I don't know," I muttered. "I'm...not sure if I want tae..." Hailey sighed and reached for my arm, giving my sleeve a light tug.

"Come on...ye promised," she pleaded. From across the pond, a shrill laugh pierced thought the air, almost certainly female and far too familiar. I tugged my arm back, backing up behind the trees, desperately trying to make sure that I couldn't be seen.

" _She's_ here...," I said, keeping my voice down. I stiffened as a girl our age skated past, surrounded by her posse of followers. She was quite tall for a frost elf, sporting long braids and fashionable clothing, her posse dressed almost identically. The posse spotted Haily, giggling shamelessly before moving on. Hailey grimaced, sticking out her tongue at their backsides. Sighing, she stepped off the frozen pond, slipping the skates off the bottom of her boots before coming around to face me.

Hailey was a very pretty elf, with delicate blue skin, smaller pointed ears and bright ice blue eyes. She wore a cute brown dress with white leggings and sported a fur lined coat around her skinny frame. Her long red hair was held up in a high ponytail, elaborately tied with a brown cord. I suddenly found the tops of my shoes very intriguing.

"I'm sorry Hailey..." I muttered. She smiled kindly, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"It's fine, Pix. We can go somewhere else," she said. I shook my head.

"No, Oslo's here. Ye go skate with him. I'll be fine," I replied.

"Ye won't be and ye know it. Ye belong with friends," Hailey said forcefully. I smiled slightly, pushing her in sight of Oslo. He saw her and waved, motioning for her to come back onto the ice. Hailey looked at me, then looked at Oslo, her eyes continuously flickering back and forth. I nodded in his direction and she looked at me indignantly. "He's just a guy."

"Who happens tae be datin ye."

"He can come with."

"And leave me the awkward third wheel and him even more so?"

"Friends come first."

"Yes and he's yer boyFRIEND. Trust me, I'll be fine," I assured her. Hailey sighed and wrapped her arms around me, admitting defeat even though I could tell she didn't want to. It hurt me too; I really wanted to spend time with her, do something fun together. The problem was that if I didn't deliberately force her to go with Oslo, she'd loose him, and he was the first boyfriend she had ever had. One more guy than I would ever have. She broke the hug extremely reluctantly before slipping the ice skates on again.

"Fine," she said, stepping on the ice. "But ye and I are going out fer ice cream later." I smiled in reply and she glided off, the quick clicks of her skates fading away. Waiting for a few seconds after her departure, I quickly ran away from the busy pond. Up the hills and off the paths l ran, the screams growing quieter with every step before disappearing completely. I ran and ran and ran until I came upon another clearing deep in the forest, the trees and surrounding hills hiding a good sized pond. It was quiet, calm, serene. Perfect.

Taking a breath, I held my hands out, steadying my mind. Like most elves, I learned to control elements from a young age, although since I'm half frost elf and half wood elf, the scope of elements under my control is a bit wider than usual. Technically, I can control four out of the eight elements if I wish: life, fire, earth, and water. In reality, controlling more than one element is hard. Controlling even one element is hard. It's almost impossible to control all the elements that exist within a person's range. As to be expected, I focused my talents on only one element, the element that made the most sense given my surroundings: water.

With the tiniest flick of my wrist, I summoned a thin stream of water around body. Another gesture and it spiraled towards my ankles and forearms as I continued to add more liquid to the floating river. It swirled faster and faster, the water almost glowing with the infused magic, before suddenly freezing in place. When the telltale glow of magic had faded away, I was left with skates made of solid ice on the bottoms of my boots and arm guards with a slanted blade along the side, larger near my elbow and disappearing at the wrist. Satisfied with my work, I stepped out onto the frozen lake, and with a quick exhale, pushed off.

Within a few strides I had established my rhythm, zipping around the edge of the pond. The wind whipped through my hair as I picked up speed, the clicking of my skates barely heard over the air blowing past my ears. It felt so good to be skating again. As I turned the corner, the exhilaration overcame me and I let out a giddy laugh, putting on a burst of speed. The busy pond was too congested, but here, I could move as fast as I wished, with no one to see or judge my movements. It was just me and the ice.

After a few minutes of warming up, I pushed one skate hard into the ground, leaping into the air. Pulling my arms in tight, I spun as I came back down, twirling into a quick spin. I followed this with another jump, alternating spinning and jumping as I covered the entire surface of the pond. My body fell into the repeated pattern, moving unconsciously as my moves gradually got more complex. All my cares and worries fell away, all my fears and insecurities pushed away as I flew through the air, landing in a sweeping motion.

Now comfortable with the ice beneath my feet, I switched back to straight speed skating, although a touch slower than before. In a flash, I began to mimic slicing an enemy with the blades on my arms, quickly slashing and turning away. My movements became increasingly more precise, my mindset shifting from just casual skating to a complex fighting style, perfected over the years by only the greatest of frost elf warriors. As I kept slicing and moving, the years of discipline and training focused my mind to a pin point that absolutely nothing could-

CLAP!

The sound scared me clean out of my skin, my feet coming out from me as I hit the ice, landing hard on my rear end. Pain shot through my lower back and I unwillingly let out a yelp, mentally cursing for letting someone sneak up on me. The familiar scraping of turning ice skates filled the air and a gloved hand I had seen far too many times came into my vision. Sighing, I grasped it and was hauled to my feet.

"Elder," I said, more than slightly annoyed, "I don't find yer antics funny." The older man chuckled, placing a hand on my shoulder. The elder of our village was only slightly taller than myself, but very much a frost elf in both looks and garb, dressed in layers of brown fur with matching hats and gloves. His sturdy boots had ice skates just like mine attached to the bottom. The oldest man in Winter Keep, he was the wisest person I knew, my combat teacher for the past eight years. He was also the one person most likely to give me a sudden heart attack.

"Humor an old man, will ye?" he asked, his eyes twinkling. Looking into his warm eyes, all of my annoyance melted away and I nodded. The elder smiled, motioning for me to continue skating. I did, although not nearly as fast. My teacher matched my pace, the two of us slowly gliding around the pond. "Yer form looked good today. Not a single mistake that I could see," he remarked. "Oh, an' I found these yesterday by the side of the pond," he said with a small lift in his voice, pulling two knives out of his pockets. They were throwing knives, the blades made of unbreakable ice with handles of white birch. Small runes etched along the knifes wove a spell of enchantment, ones that would freeze anything they came in contact with solid, only to return to their owner as if they had never been thrown...their owner being me.

"Ah...thank ye, elder," I sheepishly replied, taking the knives out of his hands. I slipped them into the pockets on the sides of my dress, the additional weight hardly noticeable. In addition to the blades on my forearms, my fighting skills also included the use of throwing knives. I was just as good with them as I was my arm blades, giving myself a way of attacking long-range as well as close up. I had crafted them myself and I was very proud of my work. The only issue was that I had no adequate place to store them besides my pockets, which were not suitable for a teleportation location, and often got misplaced.

"Ye really need ta find someplace tae keep those," he remarked with a smile on his face. "They don't do ye much good in ma care." As we rounded a bend, my teacher's face molded into a slightly quizzical expression as he gave me a second look.

"Is something wrong elder?"

"No, nothing's wrong," he responded. "I simply thought ye were takin today off tae spend time with yer friends." I dropped my eyes, starting at my boots, slowing my glide almost to a standstill.

"Sigga was at the skatin pond," I explained in a low voice. "I panicked and I just couldn't..." I trailed off, struggling to keep the memories of my childhood suppressed. Sigga was the local mean girl, loving to pick on anyone she deemed out of her circle. It had been almost eight years since she last singled me out for torment, the elder finally stepping in after she had gone one step too far and...I couldn't even think about it without slipping into panic. She no longer even acknowledged my existence, but the trauma still remained. I still couldn't face her, still couldn't show my face in public, still too scared to say even a simple 'hello'. It was maddening, being so afraid.

My teacher remained silent for a long while, then with a sharp turn, braked at the edge of the pond. I followed suit, stepping onto the ground and removing my ice gear. The elder began to walk in no particular direction, staring into the ice-covered trees. As he came upon a tall tree, he placed one hand on its massive trunk and stared up into the sky.

"Did ye know that there was a Skylander who fought like us?" he asked. I shook my head but I wasn't surprised. Skylanders were the greatest heroes in all of Skylands, chosen specifically by Portal Masters to defend the people who inhabited the various islands. Their powers were as different as the elements they represented, each putting a new twist on their chosen path. "His name was Freeze Blade, a member of the SWAP Force. A feline, if I remember correctly," my teacher continued. "One of the best speed skaters in the history of Skylands. I never met him, of course, but from what I understand, ye could definitely be his equal."

"Thank ye elder, but I'm far from bein as good as a Skylander," I replied. His story seemed innocent enough, but his words were laced with undertones of his desire for me to take part in defending the village. He had seen my potential when I was young, finding me at this very pond years ago. I had fought against some Chompie infestations, but I had no desire to take part in an actual battle. I wasn't afraid of combat so much as afraid of what people would think of me, a small, half frost elf girl fighting against armies of cyclopses, trolls, and who knows what else. "Besides, fightin is fer warriors, fer people who enjoy fightin, fer heroes. And I'm none of those." The elder closed his eyes, his head still oriented to the sky.

"What makes a hero, Pixie?" he asked. I bit my lip, examining the ground for a few seconds. I had never really thought about what makes a hero, or a heroine if you wanted to give females a chance in the spotlight. It was just something that everyone knew, or at least, I thought I had known. Searching my memories, I compiled a list of similarities from all the stories I had heard about people who had been called heroes, trying to find their one common factor.

"Someone who is brave, someone who protects others," I finally said. My teacher smiled and opened his eyes, the irises bright with knowledge. He walked over to me and motioned around to the trees, my eyes following his hand higher into the sky.

"Long ago," he began, "Someone once asked this question of Ninjini, the greatest of all the elves and one of the Elder Elementals. As legend states, she replied with, 'Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, but what we all have in common is the feeling we get in our stomach when evil is being wrought, and the urge that follows to stop it in its tracks.' True or not, her words inspired countless generations of elven warriors, including yers truly."

"But Ninjini...was Ninjini," I said. "A Giant brave enough to take on the Arkeyan army and win. I'm not like her. I'm not fearless. I'm not brave." Coming to the edge of the forest, the elder looked to the horizon, the floating islands in the distance slowly bobbing in the wind. The birds around us whistled and chattered, their songs floating through the air and past my ears.

"Bravery is not the absence of fear, Pixie," he replied. "Bravery is when the fear of doin nothin overpowers the fear of doin somethin."

"Who said that?" I inquired. My teacher chuckled a little.

"I did," he answered. Suddenly, he furrowed his eyebrows. "Do ye smell that?" he asked just as I caught the sent of wood smoke. Smoke was bad. Smoke meant something was burning. Burning meant...

"Fire..." I whispered, my feet leaping into action. Breaking free of the trees, I found myself standing on the back end of a small cliff. The Ice Forest Island was huge: it took almost two days to reach the edge from the capital, and that's if you traveled nonstop. There was snow as far as the eye could see, all the way down to our village, which rested along the eastern portion of the island, a good-sized port town. There, smoke and ash were rising from bright red flames engulfing most of the buildings, spreading faster than I could believe possible. A boom shook the forest, sending up a plume of soot and debris.

We were under attack.

"Trolls," the elder spat. "No one else would dare use explosives. I almost wish they were cyclopses. We must get to the village!" My teacher started for a path down the hill, only to cry out in pain and collapse on one knee, a hand on his backside. "Stupid back," he growled as I ran over to him. I offered him a hand, but he swatted it away irritably. "Always seizes up when I need it most." He attempted to stand, only to hiss in pain, sinking back onto the ground. I felt my heart drop into my stomach. The elder was the greatest warrior on the island and he was far from home and unable to fight. Most of our other warriors, including my parents, were out on a hunting mission, trying to get us food so late into the winter. While large, the Ice Forest Island was the least populated, the nearest village being a half a day's walk away. Our village was defenseless.

I looked back to the town, seeing the flames tearing through the houses like paper. I heard more explosions, the blast muffled by the distance. I smelled the burning wood, harsh on my sensitive nose. The flames were too far to feel, but I knew what fire felt like, the searing heat blistering skin more accustomed to frigid temperatures than hot weather. What I did feel, however, wasn't external. It was internal, and it spread as fast as the fire I saw before me. It started in my gut and rose through my body, my very skin tingling. I clenched my fists, narrowing my eyes. How dare they attack my village, I thought. How dare they attack what I loved, even if no one else realized I existed.

I was scared, from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. I was small and I even though I used the water element, ice wouldn't do much use against fire. However, I was fast. If I moved quickly enough, then maybe, just maybe...I quickly scanned the hill, trying to find the fastest way down. All of the paths wound around the hill, none looking any faster than the other. My eyes flickering wildly, I finally spotted a treeless swath that led straight to the village. Perfect...except for one little detail.

What I was about to do was incredibly dangerous and possibly insane. It was more likely that I would be killing myself than helping anyone. At the same time, however, I couldn't just stand by and watch as the only home I'd ever known was burned to the ground. I wondered if this was Ninjini meant by the need to make something right, a passion deep within your soul that had only one outlet. Action.

With all deliberate speed, I twisted water all around my body, preparing myself for battle. Needing some sort of protection, I focused the water around my chest and shoulders, forming plate armor. I reformed my arm guards, and for good measure, constructed a belt around my hips with little slots for my throwing knives. Fastening them into place, I took a deep breath, the last I was sure to get for a while. The elder watched all of this in silence before shifting into a sitting position.

"Pixie, what are ye doin?" he asked. I turned my head to him, meeting his eyes with the most serious face I could muster.

"Somethin." Before I could reconsider my options, I swung around, sprinted for the edge of the cliff, and jumped.

Within a millisecond, skates were firmly planted on my feet. Summoning water as fast as I could possibly muster, I formed a sheet of ice below me, curving up into a ramp. My feet hit the slope hard, but I had no time to think as I continued to create my own path to the village, gravity soon taking over.

Yep. This was definitely a bad idea.

I zoomed down the hill, the wind bitting my exposed face and ears. My mind didn't have a chance to keep up with the speed; my body was on its own. This wasn't the first time I had performed downhill skating, I'm not completely insane, but that was on a closed course with a gentle slope. The hill I was currently on was much steeper and I was the one creating the track. With every second, my speed increased exponentially, my feet threatening to slip out from under me and to a gruesome death, until I found myself at the bottom. Even then, I couldn't stop, my speed too great to consider slowing down of my own accord.

Nearing the village, I cleared a small hill, launching myself into the air. I flew over snowbanks and shocked villagers, straight into the heart of my hometown. Thankfully, the flames had not melted the frozen ground and I landed, twirling to absorb some of the impact. Finally at a standstill, I found myself surrounded by elves of all ages, including Hailey, Oslo, Sigga, and her posse, who must have come from the skating pond. All of them were staring at me, dumbfounded. Facing me was a troll, orange skinned and carrying a stick of dynamite, and very confused judging from the expression on his face.

"Who are the hell are you?" he demanded. I put my arms up in a fighting stance, the blades facing out as I stared him down.

"I'm Pixie. Ice tae meet 'cha." Before he could respond, I pushed off, bringing my right blade into his arm. Twisting, I brought my leg around in a kick, smashing the skate into his torso. He fell to the ground, crying out, before I whipped out my knife and brought it down into his chest. The enchanted blade glowed for a spilt second before the troll's entire body was encased in a giant block of ice.

I removed the knife, sickened at what I had done. Chompies are one kind of foe. They don't have much conscious thought and aren't very smart creatures, preferring to bite everything they lay eyes on. Trolls, on the other hand, are fairly intelligent and excellent engineers. It was easier to see them as people, even if they were destructive and had a passion for war. I know I was being irrational. The troll would have tried to kill me, my friends, and everyone in sight, blowing everything to smithereens. I still felt awful. However, I had resigned myself to do whatever it took to defend my village. The blade heavy in my hand, I placed it back into my belt. One down, a couple bazillion more to go.

For the first time since I had skated into town, I could feel the eyes of my neighbors, all fixed directly on me. With all the adrenaline pumping through me, the normal urge to find myself a large barrel to hide behind was gone. Most of the kids were staring wide eyed at me, mouths gaping, mirrored by a good portion of the adults. Sigga and her group of girls were looking at me with expressions ranging from thankfulness to disbelief. Oslo seemed the least surprised out of the bunch, giving me a quick, sharp nod of thanks, which I returned with a small smile. Hailey was looking at me in complete and utter shock.

"Since when can ye do _that?"_ she demanded. Unwilling to waste time, I started spewing out commands. Social status and reputation be damned, I was trained as a warrior and I was not about to let innocent people get hurt.

"We need tae evacuate the village. Get everyone intae the forest. Ye know the land better than the trolls. Head fer the skatin ponds," I blurted out in a single, rushed breath. Without waiting to see if anyone had listened to me, I pushed off again, skating off to a different section of town. There were trolls _everywhere_. From dynamite wielders to grenade throwers, there were more explosives here than I had ever seen, period. Although still haunted at what I had done to the dynamite wielding troll, I skated without hesitation into what appeared to be certain death.

Everything from there on out was a blur. Slash, twirl, kick, throw knife, repeat. I kept repeating these same motions, dodging when necessary, but mostly just taking troll after troll by surprise. They hadn't expected any resistance, much less from a small half frost elf girl, and I managed to get through mostly unscathed. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I found myself face to face with their general, a large green skinned troll wielding a flamethrower.

"You've been giving us a lotta trouble, elfling," the troll sneered. "Let's see how you like this!" he shouted, turning the flamethrower on full blast. I jumped out of its path, but just barely. The heat seared my skin, my ice armor threatening to melt as the flames came within an inch of my body. Landing in a crouch, I could feel my breath coming heavily. My limbs were shaking with exhaustion. Mostly unscathed means something different to everyone. For me, mostly was the operative word. I had several cuts along my arms and legs, all shallow, and burns on my torso where a blast had caught me off guard. Nothing was life threatening, but I was new to the art of battle, and I knew I was on my last legs.

The troll general knew it too. He swung the flamethrower in a large arc, the flames licking the frozen ground and melting the ice. From my crouch, I quickly dashed across the remaining ice, but not before a wave of intense heat washed over me. I felt the tell-tale sign of magic too late and my ice armor instantly melted. Without the skates, I stumbled to the ground, my knives clattering beside me. The troll general marched up to me, grabbing me by my collar and yanking me to his eye level.

"You've got spunk. I'll give ya that, elfling. You'd make a good ally," he commented, bringing a knife out of his pocket. In a fit of desperation, I kicked his stomach with as much force as I could muster, although I wish I could've aimed lower. He didn't even blink as he raised the knife to my throat. "But you've caused me too much trouble."

THUNK.

The troll general's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. His grip on me loosened and I dropped to the ground as he fell sideways, his eyes glazed over. Snatching my throwing knives, I scrambled away from the dead troll. Embedded in his back were two hunting daggers. Looking up, two elves came into my vision. One was a frost elf male, with light red hair and eyes the color of ice, unusual for an elf born of the Winter Isles. The other was a wood elf female, her hair as blue as the ocean with glowing featureless eyes and tattoos spiraling from the corners of her eyes. Both were wearing hunting gear and looked as if they had sprinted across the entire island to get there.

"Maw...Da," I gasped as they ran over. My mother threw her arms around me, my father not too far behind.

"Pixie...oh, my little girl," my mother whispered.

"It's okay. Daddy's got ye."

"I thought the hunt wasn't supposed tae be back before tomorrow," I whispered.

"So did we," my father said in a low tone. "We had a good hunt and decided tae head back early."

"Let us be thankful we did," my mother added.

"Maw...Da?"

"Yes, Pixie?" my mom asked.

"Ye're huggin my burns." My parents quickly retracted their arms, then took a good look at the condition I was in.

"By the Ancients," my father swore. "Ye look like ye've been through a war."

"Considering that yer daughter single handedly took on an army of trolls, I'd say she did." Turning around, we came to face the mayor of our village, a older woman by the name of Ofelia, flanked by some senior members. They walked into the plaza, closely followed by other warriors and a few villagers. With the help of my parents, I rose to my feet. "That was quite an impressive performance. Tell me, Pixie. How long have ye been able tae fight?"

"Since...since I was six years old," I responded.

"Who taught ye?"

"That would be me," a voice said. The crowd parted to reveal the elder, slightly limping but otherwise alive and well. "Sorry fer not coming tae help, but ma back gave out at the absolute worse time. I'm not as young as I used tae be. Seems everything turned out fine though." Ofelia smiled a little, turning back to me.

"Well, it seems we are all fortunate tae have had such a competent warrior in our midst. Otherwise, our casualties would have been much greater. On behalf of us all, I thank you, Pixie, fer yer heroic acts today."

"It...it is no trouble, Ms. Ofelia," I replied.

"Have you ever considered joinin the village guard? I know ye are still quite young, but we could use a warrior such as yerself," Ofelia continued. My heart leaped into my chest. The village guard! They were made up of our greatest warriors, hand picked from only the best. Several of our members had gone on to serve at the Winter Keep, the capital, or even the Frost Elf Guard. It was the highest honor I could get at my level.

I looked around at my neighbors. The looks of sympathy and of simple recognition had been replaced with looks of pride. Suddenly, I wasn't being overlooked. People knew what I could do, but they didn't judge me. The villagers were seeing me not as a small, helpless girl, but as a warrior, as someone they could count on. It was...nice.

"I...I would be honored, Ms. Ofelia," I declared.

"Then Ms-"

"Wait," my mother interjected. At first, I was fearful she would refuse to let me become a warrior, but instead of looking worried, my mother beamed with pride. "Among my people, it is traditional to give a child a new name when they have proven themselves adults. As my daughter will now be serving in the village guard, I think she deserves a more mature name." Turning to me, my mother held my shoulders. "I named you Pixie because you were the little drop of fairy magic in my life. However, it is the name of a child, and seeing what you have done today, you deserve a name worthy of a woman. Do you have a name in mind, or would you like me to choose?" I smiled at my mother.

"Ye chose my name once. I trust ye to chose it again." My mother returned my smile.

"What do you think of Icicle?"

"Icicle..." I rolled the name over my tongue a few times. Unusual, not a typical elvish name, but, then again, I wasn't a typical elf. "I like it."

"Then from this day forth, you shall be known as Icicle," my mother declared.

"And also from this day forward, ye shall be known as a member of the village guard," Ofelia added. "Let it be so!"

"Let it be so!" the village responded with a resounding shout. Before I knew what had happened, everyone was clapping and cheering. Hailey burst through the crowd, throwing her arms around me. I looked around, seeing the smiling faces of all my neighbors and peers. Even Sigga was smiling a little.

So this is who Icicle is.

I like her.

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And yes, I am aware of how long that was. The other ones will be shorter. Promise.

Please review!


	2. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! So, just for clarification, this is happening before Spyro's Adventure. At least for now, anyways :3

Oh, and I came up with Icicle (that is how the story will refer to her from here on out) before I even found out that Freeze Blade existed.

Thanks to you who reviewed!

I don't own Skylanders.

Enjoy!

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UPDATE! I am on Deviantart. My username is pixeice. There, you can find pictures of Icicle as the story goes on.

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 **Chapter 1**

-Spyro-

I'd been to a lot of places in Skylands, it's part of the job after all, but there's always somewhere you haven't been. When Eon said that we were going to the Cloudbreak Islands, I didn't know what to expect. I had heard of the place from Whirlwind, but didn't think much of it, besides as another place to explore someday. Imagine my surprise when on our flight I discovered that not only were they the single largest collection of islands in Skylands, but they contained a good portion of its population as well. You learn something new every day.

Now, as a dragon, the number of times I had actually ridden on an airship numbered in the single digits, since I can fly to most places on my own power. However, when you're traveling with your Portal Master, airship it is. Why? Well, I can't carry Eon and apparently, when traveling through your own portals, about half of the time you end up either teleporting to a location you didn't intend to, in extreme pain, or experiencing a really bad case of flatulence for the next couple of hours. Of course, Eon was experienced enough to travel through portals without that happening, but why take chances?

"So, what exactly are we doing again?" I asked Eon. "Because the last time I checked, the Cloudbreak Islands don't need our help." The Portal Master smiled as we passed by several large islands.

"Do you remember when Whirlwind went to aid the frost elves of the Winter Keep?" he asked.

"Of course. They were cursed by...I think it was a Magic Spell Punk or something like that...and she made the Illuminator out of her own magic to give them back daylight," I replied. "That was, what, three years ago?"

"It was," he confirmed. "And every year since she has returned to the Winter Keep to visit the elves. Apparently, she's pretty popular there. This last time around, as she told me, she heard rumors of a young elf who had single handedly defeated an invading army of trolls. When she went searching for said elf, however, there seemed to be no trace of him or her, only that the elf in mention lived on the Ice Forest Island in the village of Crystal Port."

"I think I know where this is going. Another Skylander recruiting mission?"

"Exactly," he replied. "While there are many Skylanders now, thirty-two including yourself, we are nowhere near full strength. There are hardly enough of you to fill all the mission requests that pour in. Years ago, back when I was a young Portal Master, there were dozens of Skylanders. I even commanded the SWAP Force before they were banished. But there was little danger after their banishment, and as time passed, some of the Skylanders retired, some passed on, and some just up and left. Before I knew what had happened, there were none, and Skylands stood without a single Skylander for almost ten years while I searched for suitable candidates."

"And then you found me," I chimed in. Eon smiled.

"And then I found you," he agreed. "Four and half years ago, Skylands welcomed a new generation of Skylanders, with you, Gill Grunt, and Trigger Happy leading the way, along with Eruptor, Terrafin, Stealth Elf, Whirlwind, and Chop Chop, of course. And just in time, as well. Every day, Kaos and his armies grow stronger."

"Kaos," I spat. "We'll need all the help we can get to take him down." Kaos was the most vile, evil creature I had ever laid eyes on, an egotistical villain who only wanted to rule Skylands to satisfy his big head. As annoying as he was, he was quite brilliant when he wanted to be and he had massive armies under his control, even if we foiled his plans more often than not.

"Yes, and that is why I am going myself. From what I know of the frost elves, they do not relinquish their warriors easily. It will take a considerable amount of work to convince them."

"Then why am I here?" I irritably asked. "If you're going to be talking with who ever is in charge, then you shouldn't need me." As stated before, we needed all hands on deck when it came to suppressing evil throughout Skylands, and one fewer Skylander meant that everyone had to go into overtime.

"Isn't it proper for you, the leader of the Skylanders, to personally meet a new member? Frost elves are big on tradition and honor, you know." I huffed. Elven culture was not my forte. I should have asked Stealth Elf or Flameslinger for some tips before heading off, or at least ask one of them to come along. The last thing we needed was for me to say something insulting and lose the chance of getting a new Skylander.

"It looks like we're almost there," he remarked. I looked over the railing of the air ship. The Ice Forest Island was, in a word, huge. It was covered in snow as far as the eye could see. Snow Forest Island might have been a better name for the floating land mass. We docked without incident and started into the small village.

"I wonder what the new Skylander will be like," I commented as we walked through the market. The village was mostly made up of wood and stone buildings, although I noticed that all were enchanted with some kind of fire proofing spell. We got some interesting looks from the villagers, but that's to be expected. It's not every day that an elderly human and a purple dragon walk through the center of a majorly frost elf town.

"Well, hello there, travelers," a frost elf woman said to us as we walked into the central plaza. "What can I do fer ye?"

"Hello to you as well," Eon replied. "Could you help us find the mayor of this fine town?"

"Well, yer gonna have tae wait a bit. She's at the Winter Keep right now. Won't be back fer awhile," the woman replied.

"I see. Thank you anyways."

"No problem. Have a good day," the woman said before walking off. Eon stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"It seems that we will be here for awhile," he finally said. "Spyro, why don't you take a little break while we're here? Do some exploring if you want. I'll find you when it is time."

"You've got it, Eon," I said as I snapped my wings open. "I'll see ya later!" With that, I shot into the sky to the looks of shocked villagers, spinning as I flew over the forest. Even though that Whirlwind told me that the Ice Forest Island was the least populated of all the main islands, there were quite a few people to be found. Lots of frost elves could be seen working in the forests, cutting down trees, herding reindeer, and building catapults for snowballs. Children of all ages were sledding down the hills and skating on various ponds scattered throughout the woods. If it wasn't so cold, I wouldn't mind living here at all.

As I scanned the woods for something to do, I felt the presence of magic being cast with ernest, specifically of the water element. My attention turned to a pond surrounded by small hills in a much denser part of the forest. I flew closer. There, I spotted a someone fighting off an entire hoard of Chompie Frostflowers, the little pests surrounding the person on all sides. Time to put the break on hold and get some target practice in. Pulling my wings in, I dove down, readying a fireball.

"All fired up!" I shouted as I let it loose. The Chompies scattered as the fireball hit a good deal of them, lighting some of the unluckier ones on fire. Landing on the ice, I threw a couple more fireballs, blasting them into oblivion. It was surprisingly therapeutic.

"Oi!" a voice shouted with the thick accent of the frost elves. "Careful where ye throw those thins!" Turning my head, I spotted what was definitely the strangest elf girl I had ever seen. First off, she was _tiny._ She couldn't have been any taller than three feet and was as skinny as a twig. Along with her other physical features, like her light green skin, light turquoise hair, large ears, and pointed blue eyes, she looked nothing like a frost elf. Around the corners of her eyes were an elaborate set of tattoos, shaped like leaves and colored a dark green. She was wearing a white dress and armor made out of ice, with deadly looking blades along her arms.

"You looked like you needed help," I replied, ramming into a few Chompies with my horns. The girl responded by slashing into them with the blades on her arms. She then took a few steps and shot around the pond, revealing skates on the bottom of her boots. Her blades sliced through everything, leaving the pond clear of the plant spawned menaces in a matter of seconds. She came to rest in front of me, looking a little annoyed.

"I appreciate the effort, but I'm not in the mood for a roast. Name's Pixie. I mean, Icicle," she sputtered. "Ah, sorry. Still gettin used tae the name. Ye'd think after a year it'd sink in. I'm Icicle. Ice tae meet 'cha."

"Nice to meet you too," I replied. "I'm Spyro."

"Spyro!" she exclaimed, her face widening with shock. "The Skylander?!"

"The one and only," I laughed.

"Well, it's quite an honor to meet ye," she said, bowing her head a little. "Probably should have guessed from yer purple scales. I'd offer ye a hand shake, but I wouldn't know where tae grab, since ye seem tae be lackin hands."

"How about the horn?" I offered. Icicle regarded me curiously, then smiled and grabbed my right horn, giving it a firm shake. "Those are some impressive moves you got. Not too bad."

"Yer not too bad yerself, Spyro," she replied. "It feels strange talkin this much. I'm a bit shy, if ye know what I mean."

"Well, that's not what I've seen," I replied, looking over her again. Once again, I was struck by how different she looked. Not a bad different, but just different. I had never seen an elf quite like her before, and while I should have known better, my curiosity got the better of me.

"You don't look much like a frost elf," I commented. For a second, I thought I had brought up a touchy subject, as her face molded into a slight frown, but it was quickly replaced with a smile.

"Aye, ma maw's a wood elf an' ma da's a frost elf. Makes me stand out a wee bit," she answered. Ah, that would explain it. She was half-frost elf. "So, what brins the Skylanders out tae the Ice Forest Island? I don't think we've got any trouble besides a few Chompies."

"We're actually here on business," I responded. "We're looking for a new Skylander."

"Really now?" she asked. "Well, I better not trouble ye any longer. Yer probably pretty busy."

"Not really. Master Eon said to take five while we're waiting for your mayor to get back. Seems like your people don't let your warriors go easily."

"Aye, that's very true. The Cloudbreak Islands never say quiet fer long. Just last year, we were invaded by some trolls. That's how I earned these," she said, pointing to her tattoos. "Ma maw says that among her people, ye get these after yer first battle. Still don't know why she chose leaves fer me, though. Not many of those around here," she joked. I couldn't help but smile. I liked Icicle. She was a good warrior, had a nice sense of humor, and looked to be a person who would get along well with others. Eon said we were looking for a Skylander. He never said anything about getting just one.

"Icicle, would you consider joining us?" I asked.

"Joining ye," she gaped, looking a little flustered. "Me? A Skylander? I'm honored that ye think I could be one, Spyro, but I'm not really Skylander material."

"Are you kidding? You're a warrior and it's pretty obvious you know what you're doing. You've got the moves to prove it."

"Ah, stop. Yer making me blush," Icicle said, and she was correct. A slight red tint was forming around her cheeks. "I'm a warrior because I want tae protect ma home. I'm only a member of the village guard."

"Only a member of the village guard? And you can't be much older than, what, fifteen?" She nodded her head. "That pretty much covers the prerequisite for being a Skylander."

"I don't know...it seems a bit out of ma league..." Icicle said, putting one hand behind her head.

"Would you at least consider my offer?" She looked at me curiously, then sighed a little.

"Fine, but I make no promises," she finally replied.

"Awesome. Well, it's probably about time I got back. Hop on. I'll give you a ride into town," I said, turning my back to her. Icicle looked at me with an expression that reminded me of a serial killer with a toothache.

"Ye want me. Tae ride on yer back." she said in a flat tone.

"Sure. It'll be faster."

"I'm an elf."

"It'll be really quick. Promise."

"If yer lyin, I'll make sure ye'll regret it," she finally said. Somehow, I don't think she was joking.

Snapping her fingers, her arm guards and skates disappeared in a small puff of snowflakes. With a small yip, she swung a leg over my back, making sure to avoid my wings. Once she had settled in, I took off. As I had predicted, she hardly weighed a thing and I was able to maintain my usual pace. The winds were blowing to our favor and I barely had to flap my wings, gliding along the jet stream. It was good that I didn't have to worry about flying because Icicle had her arms tightly wrapped around my neck. There was little chance of her choking me, but it was fairly distracting.

"You doing alright?" I asked.

"Fine!" she squealed straight into my ear. "I'm just used tae havin ma feet on the ground!" I winced, trying to stem the ringing in my ear canal.

"What, never flown before?"

"Of course I have, ye dolt! I just hate flying!" she shouted back, wrapping her arms even tighter around my neck. Thankfully, the flight was short and the town was within sight before too long. With a quick turn, I swooped into the center of town. People cleared the area and I landed smoothly. Icicle couldn't scramble off my back fast enough.

"I am never doin that again," she declared. "Elves belong on the ground, not pretendin to be birds." From across the square, Eon walked over to us, looking quite pleased.

"Perfect timing, Spyro. I was just about to call you back. Who is your friend?" he asked.

"Eon, this is Icicle, a member of Crystal Port's guard. Icicle, this is Eon, the Portal Master of the Skylanders," I responded, nudging her with my horn. She seemed a tad uncomfortable, her muscles a little more tense than before. Nevertheless, she stepped forward, bowing her head as she had done with me.

"Pleased tae meet ye, sir," Icicle greeted. Master Eon smiled in return, regarding her with the same curiosity used when he was trying to commit someone to memory.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Icicle," he said with a similar head bow. "And please, no need for the sir."

"Eon, were you able to speak with the mayor?" I asked, although I suspected I already knew the answer.

"I did indeed, Spyro, and I was able to convince her to let us find our mystery warrior, along with clue about the elf's identity," he replied, his eyes focusing on Icicle. "The mayor said that I would know the elf on sight, for she would be the smallest elf I had ever seen, wearing armor fashioned of ice, and with leaf tattoos around her eyes." Icicle's face flashed with a mixture of shock and disbelief, her face slightly paling. She looked to me and to Master Eon in quick succession, before turning to me once again.

"Wait...ye've been lookin fer me?"

-Icicle-

And just when I thought my day couldn't get any weirder, every form of sane reason within my head spontaneously combusted.

Master Eon, the last of the good Portal Masters and one of the most powerful people in Skylands, protecter of the light and all things good, wanted me, a small, half-frost elf girl from the boonies of the Cloudbreak Islands, as a Skylander.

It was too much to process.

"I...I'm...very flattered...but..." I sputtered as my face no doubt turned bright red, "I-need-some-time-tae-think," I spewed to the ground before turning and fleeing. If I looked as pathetic and panicky as I felt, I didn't want to be anywhere near the Portal Master. My mind was too cloudy to even consider using magic, but even without my skates, I rapidly covered ground. By the time I stopped running, my panicked flight had carried me far from the village. I leaned my back on a large pine tree, attempting to catch my breath.

Well, I had just blown the greatest chance ever given to me. A chance to be an actual Skylander and I had turn and fled, in front of Master Eon of all people. Ever since the troll invasion last year, I had gotten better with social situations, in no small part from being in the village guard. I was still as shy as a sheep in a wolf pack, but I could generally hold my own with strangers. So why had I panicked when Master Eon asked me to join? Simple. Because I panicked. Thank you so much, fight or flight response.

The sound of flapping wings filled the air and Spyro dropped down. He probably followed my footprints through the forest. Or used some strange dragon magic. Or both. I didn't really care. I liked the purple dragon. He was a genuinely good guy, a natural born leader, and confident in his abilities. I could see why he respected by the Skylanders and everyone who met him. At this moment, however, I wasn't in a particularity good frame of mind and my current opinion of him was not that high.

"Ye knew," I stated in as neutral a tone as I could muster. Spyro shook his head.

"I didn't. I swear," he responded as our eyes met. Eyes can say a lot about a person; they are the window to the soul, after all. Elves know this very well. We rely a lot on a person's eyes to figure out their personality. You'd think it would be hard to read elven eyes, featureless or not, but they're really not. Without pupils or irises, they forge an unobscured path straight to the person's soul. Spyro's eyes were a lot like an elf's. They hid nothing, and even someone as blind as a Molekin could see the truth sparkling in his eyes.

"I believe ye," I finally said. Spyro relaxed a little, stepping closer to me.

"Did you really take on a whole army of trolls?" he asked.

"Aye, and I'm still not sure what I was thinkin," I muttered.

"That's incredible!" he exclaimed. "And all by yourself at that. You're totally worthy of being a Skylander."

"People say 'army,' but really, there were two platoons of trolls, barely even fifty in total. That's nothin compared tae what ye face every day," I countered. Now, I thought it would be nice to be a Skylander, I really did, but I had to be realistic. If I became a Skylander, I would have to fight off true armies of drow, cyclopses, trolls, greebles, and who knows what else. I was only fifteen years old and barely had a year of any real combat experience. I simply wasn't ready.

"Hop on," Spyro suddenly said, stretching his wings out. "I want to show you something."

"I said I'd never do that again," I reminded him. It's a well known fact that elves do not enjoy flying. I mean, it's kind of a necessity since all the islands of Skylands float in mid-air, but that doesn't mean that we have to enjoy it.

"Just trust me," he said. I weighed my options, which consisted of either willingly getting onto the back of the dragon for the second time in one day or most likely being picked up by the shoulders and forcibly flown into the air. Personally, I liked the second option. Hesitantly, I climbed onto Spyro's back, laying down on my stomach and wrapping my arms around his neck. Spyro flapped his wings once, twice, and then shot into the air. He flew above the tree tops and into the sky, soaring through the clouds. With each beat of his wings, we climbed higher and higher, until the Ice Forest Island was a very, very long ways down.

"Just what do ye think yer doin!" I shouted, shutting my eyes tightly together as the wind whipped past my face. I had never been up this high before, and certainly not on such an unsteady form of transportation. No offense to Spyro of course, I trusted that he wouldn't drop me, but at that moment, I really wanted to be on something with a railing or door.

"Look around," he calmly said. Cautiously, I opened my eyes and raised my head up. My mouth dropped to my chest and I gasped. We were hovering directly over Mount Cloudbreak. I could see for miles in every direction, spying my own Winter Isles to the north, The Fantasm Forest to the east, The Desert Archipelago to the south, and the Jungle Islets to the west. A small collection of islands, the Vine Wood, was home to Woodburrow, the general hub that people would go to when we needed the help of the Skylanders.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" Spyro commented. I nodded my head, slowly orienting myself until I was sitting up, my legs dangling from his shoulders. "Ever been outside the Cloudbreak Islands before?"

"A few times," I breathed. "Tae visit family in the Elven Woods."

"Then you're gonna love this," he replied as he oriented his head to the sky. "Eon, one portal please!" Within seconds, a swirling vortex appeared next to us, flashing in all the colors of the rainbow. My eyes must have been bulging out of my head. A real live portal, conjured up by Master Eon himself. I had thought that portals had to be made of stone in order to work properly, like the one found at the Winter Keep. It had never crossed my mind that a portal could be created out of thin air. With a quick flap, Spyro dove into the portal-

And we emerged into the heart of Skylands.

It was indescribable. There were islands of all shapes and sizes, of all colors, terrains, and climates. There were mountains, volcanoes, forests, plains, deserts, lakes, waterfalls, and the ever present clouds far beneath us. And all the cities! They were huge, the buildings sometimes larger than my entire village and full of all kinds of people. We flew past Mabu, Molekin, elves, fairies, Treemen, Gillmen, robots, and a whole bunch of others I couldn't name on sight. I even spotted a few dragons when we neared a large mountain called Dragon's Peak. Spyro weaved between the floating landmasses, constantly switching directions and altering his flight path. He pointed out a few key places, large kingdoms, markets and arenas, for example, but he mostly left me alone as I took everything in.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably closer to forty-five minutes, we came to rest on one of the smaller floating islands, one that was just large enough to hold two people comfortably. My head was buzzing with everything I had seen, every one of my senses overloaded to the extreme, so it was nice to just sit and watch the clouds float by as I tried to make sense of...well...everything.

"So, what do you think?" Spyro asked.

"It's incredible," I marveled. "It's simply incredible." We sat in silence for a few minutes more, relaxing under the warm sun. The wind whistled past us, catching my hair and bearing it aloft, before continuing along its path. A few airships in the distance passed by, and always, the ever present clouds lazily floated by.

Suddenly, like they had just appeared out of thin air, ominous dark clouds began to roll in, purple lightning flashing between them. The wind picked up into a fast, uncontrollable gale within a heartbeat that almost picked me up and carried me off. The thunderclouds swelled high into the sky, folding in over each other in large wave-like motions. Large claps of thunder followed each lightning flash, the clouds coming a little too close for comfort.

These clouds weren't natural. Correction, this _storm_ wasn't natural. Not even the worst thunderstorms looked even remotely as bad as the clouds before us. Purple lightning wasn't normal, not that nothing in Skylands ever is, but something just felt extremely _wrong_. Apparently, Spyro thought so too. He quickly sprang to his feet, unfurling his wings in with a snap.

"Time to go." Scrambling onto his back, I barely had time to orient myself before he shot off the floating rock. The winds were even fiercer at this level of the sky, and we were battered mercilessly by gales that seemed to only want to give us grief. Spyro turned his wings every which way, doing all he could to get us away from the dark clouds, while I clung helplessly to his back, unable to give a measure of assistance. Oh, how I wished that elves knew how to control the air element!

"Hold on!" Spyro shouted as he folded his wings in. We dropped like a rock, hurtling downward at a pace that surpassed way-too-fast within a millisecond. It took all the willpower I had to not scream bloody murder and doom us both to a messy and equally bloody death. My eyelids were slammed together and I prayed to the Ancients, the elven gods and goddesses of Nature and Stars, the elements that made the world around us, and anyone else who would listen to my pleas to get us out of this alive.

"Eon, portal, now!" Spyro shouted. A swirling vortex appeared below us and we shot through, emerging above a large meadow island. With a hard twist, Spyro managed to prevent us from totally crashing, sending us instead rolling head over heels until we had slowed down enough to come to a halt. Collapsed on the ground, all I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and never leave the ground again. Saying I was terrified was a grave, grave understatement. I hate, hate, hate, _hate_ flying.

"Are you okay?" the purple dragon asked, his voice steady despite everything we had just gone through. He looked battered and a little worse for wear, but other than that, he seemed to be fine.

"What...in Skylands...was _that_?"

"Discord storm. They've been appearing more and more frequently lately, although that was the worst I've seen yet. Kaos seems to enjoy sending them out to reek havoc. Every time they appear, we have to go out in full force to stop the destruction." I shuttered a little. I had heard of Kaos, and even though I had heard that he ended up defeated more often than not, he was still the most powerful wielder of the Darkness Skylands had seen in centuries. More than a few frost elves whispered about his involvement in the invasion of Crystal Port, how trolls were able to get to the Ice Forest Island with such ease.

Until now, I hadn't truly grasped what the Skylanders did. They didn't just fight against the Darkness, they fought _for_ every inhabitant of Skylands, protecting them and allowing them to live in peace. There were so few of them and they were always outnumbered, but they didn't care. They didn't care of they had to give their lives; they just wanted to make Skylands safe. That's how much they loved Skylands, people, places and all.

And that's what Spyro was trying to show me.

"Spyro," I finally said after I managed to stop shaking. "I think I'm ready tae go back." He nodded his head. Climbing on his back once again, we took off, diving through one last portal. We appeared over my home village and Spyro touched down in front of Master Eon. As I climbed off, I could feel eyes focused on me, waiting for what I was going to say. Gossip travels faster among frost elves than it does among wind spirits. No doubt everyone knew about the Skylander's newest recruit. Taking a deep breath, I faced the Portal Master.

"Master Eon, I think I want tae be a Skylander."

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Hm...I wonder where this is going...

Please review!


	3. Chapter 2

Hey everyone! So, if you didn't check the updated chapter 1, here's what I was trying to say. I'm on Deviantart. My name is pixeice and with each chapter update, I will be posting pictures of Icicle and other Skylanders, so please check it out.

And I promise this chapter is actually shorter than the other two.

Thanks to those who reviewed. I really appreciate it.

I don't own Skylanders.

Enjoy!

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 **Chapter 2**

-Icicle-

The next few hours were a bit of a blur. Master Eon wanted us back to the Citadel as fast as we possibly could, which means I had very little time to do all of this: pack absolutely everything, say good bye to parents, friends, the mayor, captain of the guard, the elder, practically everyone in the village, agree to buy this, agree to send that, agree to write home every week and agree to keep my personal hygiene in check (seriously mom, I'm fifteen, not five). To be quite honest, I don't really remember those three or four hours.

After all of that, and seven million hugs later, we finally managed to disembark. I waved at the crowd as the ship left the dock and soared into the sky. Was I sad to be leaving the only home I had ever known? Yes. Was I absolutely terrified at what my future might hold? Absolutely. Did I think I was ready to be a Skylander? Hell no. Did I care? Not really. This was my choice, but really, what choice did I have? The Skylanders needed people on their side and those of Skylanders caliber were few and far between. Still, to think that I would be pursuing the career of my heroine, Ninjini, was completely insane.

The airship was small, but fast. After my journey on the back of a purple dragon, traveling by airship didn't seem so bad anymore. Having a railing seemed like a luxury after riding dragon back. I still hated flying. Spyro told me that we would be stopping at the Winter Keep to use the portal located there. Something about needing to fine tune something with the portal to insure proper working order and needing to check on the Illuminator. Personally, I think they just wanted to use the portal. I could be wrong.

The trip was fairly short: winds were calm, sky was clear, no giant evil purple lightning storms. By the time we reached the Winter Keep, it was mid-afternoon and fairly warm by frost elf standards. Wanting a slightly larger range of motion, I disenchanted my armor and it broke into snowflakes. I stored my knives in my pack, keeping them close to the top in case I needed them at a moment's notice. You never know when greeble pirates might attack.

Duff, the commander of the Winter Keep, flagged us down as we neared the docking point. He was dressed for battle, as Winter Keep warriors usually are, his larger than normal frost elf dimension ears sticking out of his helmet. We disembarked, me carrying what I would immediately needed and couldn't wait a week or so to be shipped, and the burly frost elf came to greet us.

"Ah, Eon! Thought ye'd be comin this way," he greeted the elderly Portal Master with an enthusiastic hand shake. "Now there's a sight. Spyro, the legendary purple dragon himself." Spyro smiled a little in pride, not that I could really blame him. "And ye must be Icicle, Marsin's daughter. I've heard a lot about ye from Ofelia. Too bad the Skylanders got ye first," he laughed. I slightly blushed but didn't have time to respond as he quickly walked off.

"The Winter Keep is as strong as ever," he proudly stated as we walked pass the battalions. The catapults were loaded and ready for use at a moment's notice and snowmen stood ready for battle. Shifts of frost elves, both male and female I proudly noted, stood at attention as we walked past. "Nothin's gettin past us anytime soon. But yer not here for an inspection, are ye? The portal's all ready fer use, Eon, and the Illuminator is as bright as ever. Ye three are good tae go."

"Thank you, Commander Duff," Master Eon replied as we came upon the portal. I had only seen it once, as a young child of five, but it was as magnificent as I remembered. Made completely out of stone and a good two feet off the ground, the surface of the portal flashed in all the colors of the rainbow, swirling like a whirlpool. Staring into the portal made my eyes hurt, but I could occasionally pick out individual places or people, very few if any recognizable. Strange symbols were carved into its sides, occasionally lighting up in a brilliant white.

Spyro took one glance at the portal before leaping onto it, pushing off with his powerful legs. He landed on the surface of the portal, standing there for barely a second before he was pulled into the vortex. I glanced at Master Eon, not sure who would be the next to go through. The Portal Master nodded his head, motioning for me to go next. Climbing onto the stone portal, I took a deep breath before stepping into the center-

And instantly teleported into a large room.

For the first time in my entire life, I didn't feel like the odd one out. I mean, the Ice Forest Island is ninety-eight percent frost elf and two percent everyone else. Now, I was surrounded by beings of all shapes and sizes, of all species, colors, and heights. I saw everyone from a giant lava monster to a ghoul with a ball and chain. Some were a little more normal, like the Gillman and a few dragons here and there, and even a few elves from what I could see, but what they all had in common was that they were all Skylanders. And they were all staring at me.

Me, who didn't have on a speck of armor or any visible weapon, all being stared at by some of the greatest warriors in Skylands' history.

So, it makes sense that I froze.

"Skylanders," Master Eon's voice began. I hadn't even realized he had stepped through the portal. "I'm proud to announce that we have another defender of Skylands among us. Please welcome our newest member of the water element, Skylander, Icicle of the Cloudbreak Islands." Everyone looked at me expectantly, like they wanted me to give a speech. Not gonna lie, I felt like hopping back onto the portal.

"Ice tae meet 'cha," I finally managed to squeak out. Talk about a good first impression.

"Well, I'm sure everyone will help you feel at home, Icicle. Welcome to the Citadel." With that, Master Eon nodded his head and exited from a side door. Everyone's eyes followed him as he left the room. No one dared to even blink. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

That lasted about until his footsteps were gone.

Everyone rushed the little stage and started talking at the exact same time. I think they were trying to say hello, but with all the noise that erupted, they could have been cursing me and I'd never know. Spyro nudged me onto ground level and started introducing me to everyone. Names and faces came so fast, I could barely keep even one straight.

"Welcome to the Skylanders," a blue griffin in silver armor greeted.

"The greatest freak show in all of Skylands!" a little orange gremlin shouted before laughing hysterically.

"I told you it would be another water Skylander," a land shark said to a purple dragoness. "You owe me five dollas!"

"But you bet it would be a guy," she retorted.

"Dang, she's tiny!" a green skinned troll exclaimed.

"She could give the sidekicks a run for their money," a blue turtle like creature added.

"Be nice," a light blue dragoness with a unicorn horn said. This Skylander I knew, if only by name. She was Whirlwind, a dragon/unicorn hybrid who helped save the Winter Keep a few years back. "She's probably heard that more than enough times."

"If she's a real Skylander, size won't matter," a large crab sagely supplemented.

"Good to have another water Skylander among us," the Gillman said, pushing through the crowd. He offered me his hand and I carefully took it. "Name's Gill Grunt, if you didn't catch it. Alright people, back off! Give the girl some space!" Most of the people backed away, leaving Spyro, Gill Grunt, and myself surrounded on all sides by Skylanders. "Now, we seem to be doing a right fine job of scaring the crap out of our newest member. How's about a little battle to properly welcome her?" A good portion of the Skylanders nodded their heads or cheered in agreement.

"Battle?" I asked, probably with a deer in headlights expression on my face.

"Don't worry, Icicle. We've been doing this since day one," Gill Grunt explained. "It's not to embarrass anyone; it's just for us to get a feel for what your powers are. The rules are pretty simple. One of us fights you in our training area. No holding back. Don't kill anyone. If you injure someone, the fight will continue as long as it's not life threatening. You don't have to show us every little trick you've got up your sleeve, but give it your all. That fine with you?" I nodded my head.

"Alright then. Sunburn," Spyro said to the dragon with bird like wings and claws. "I'll have you be the referee."

"Sounds good, Spyro," he replied. "Now, who wants to fight her?" The Skylanders all looked amongst themselves, none of them exactly jumping at the chance. That's probably fair. I don't exactly look like much of a challenge.

"Probably shouldn't have one of her own element fight her," a blue dragon with webbed feet finally said. "I'd like to, but water on water won't really show us much of anything."

"Especially if she's got the powers I think she's got," the yeti chimed in. "Plus, it just wouldn't be fair if I guy like me fought her. No offense, Icicle."

"N-None taken," I meekly replied.

"I know! We could have one of the sidekicks fight her!" the land shark exclaimed.

"We are not having 'er fight ze sidekicks!" a blindfolded elven archer exclaimed. "Zat is just plain rude!" He bowed to me. "I apologize for ze idiot."

"You're the idiot!" the land shark rebutted.

"Anything ranged would be a bad idea," the purple dragoness commented. "She seems like a close up fighter."

"How can you tell?" a stump creature asked.

"I just can," she replied. "Of course, Spyro should not either. He has probably seen her abilities, so the fight would not be fair."

"No fire elementals. That's just bound to end badly," the lava creature added.

"But that means Chop Chop or Terrafin," Whirlwind said. "I think that counts as cruel and unusual punishment."

"Maybe Voodood would be a good choice," a plant like dragon put in.

" _I'll_ fight her," a voice finally said. The crowd parted in one motion. Standing there was a wood elf girl, maybe my age, and good half a foot taller than me. She had deep green skin, the color of mature green leaves at the height of summer. Her hair was bright blue and was pulled into a long braid, leaving bangs along the sides of the face and showing off her long, curved ears. She wore dark brown pants, boots, gloves, and cropped shirt. Covering her lips was a mask that left her eyes exposed and glowing. In her hands were two long daggers that looked a lot like fangs. Strangely enough, she did not have the tattoos I expected an elf like her to have.

"Well met, cousin," she greeted me in traditional wood elf fashion, nodding her head before looking me dead in the eyes. I should have been afraid. I should have wavered. I should have broken her gaze. I didn't.

"Well met."

-Stealth Elf-

So, this was Eon's latest guinea pig. A half frost elf girl wearing a youthful white dress, blue pants, and white lace up boots. A girl with light green skin, light turquoise hair, blue lips, ice colored eyes, and really large ears. A girl with spiraling tattoos along the sides of her eyes in the shape of intricate leaves, drawn in dark green ink as opposed to the normal light green found on most wood elves.

Tattoos. The one thing every wood elf wanted at some point at his or her life, to have the mark of a warrior around their eyes for all to see. Flameslinger had them; they were light green and shaped like the fire of his namesake, but he preferred to keep his eyes covered for...certain reasons. Hex, as much as anyone could guess, was not originally a wood elf, so she never would have gotten them. I should have gotten mine a long time ago, but I will never have the tattoos of a wood elf, seeing as I am an orphan. Parents are the only ones allowed to give the tattoos to their children. Not even close family or guardians can give them; it must be the parents. It is the one thing that will always stick out when I am among my kind.

The rest of the Skylanders no doubt thought I was threatening Icicle. That is what it looked like, after all. They probably though that I was jealous of her, feeling territorial, or perhaps feeling even a little hostile. I was none of those. I was curious. Icicle peaked my interest. She was new, she was different, and while she looked harmless enough, I could sense that she was hiding something. There was something about her that just screamed, "I have to be the one to fight her."

Icicle seemed to sense this as well. She met my challenge head on, not flinching as we locked gazes. We read each other's eyes very carefully. While she seemed to be very overwhelmed, and more than a little shy, she was no coward. She met my gaze, after all, but she hid quite a bit behind those eyes, things that I just couldn't make out from just a glance. Not surprising considering her heritage. Barely noticeable by anyone else, she relaxed and the glaring contest molded into a polite, but still noticeable, show off.

"So...I guess that's settled," Sunburn finally said, looking a little like he expected us to break into a full on brawl right in the middle of the meeting hall. "Icicle verses Stealth Elf. To the arena, ladies and gents." All the Skylanders hurried off to the arena, taking the route to the stands. Spyro motioned for Icicle to take the left hallway, the "challenger's" entrance, since she was the new girl in town. She looked back at me before walking down the corridor. I took the hallway to the right. Flameslinger was hot on my heels.

"Stealth Elf," he called, catching up to me in half a heart beat. "Why did you take ze challenge? We do not want little Icicle dead on her first day."

"I'm curious," I replied. "And I'm not going to kill her. That's against the rules. Besides, I think that 'little Icicle' will be giving all of us a bit of a surprise."

"But not you. You cannot be surprised," Flameslinger said with a grin. "Good luck, ma chérie." He sped off before I could whack some sense into that thick skull of his. He knows it ticks me off. I am not his 'darling.' Despite what everyone else thinks, we are not dating. Sure he teases me, but he does that with every girl he meets. The guy loves to flirt. But no matter how many times I turn him down, it doesn't keep him from trying a second time. Or a third time. Or a few hundred times.

Stepping out into the arena, I looked up into the stands. Our arena was a magnificent structure, built back at the height of the Skylander's power and might. It was made of sand colored stone and built like a massive coliseum, arches supporting the many layers of stands with enough to seat over two hundred. Legends say that there were once enough Skylanders to fill every seat, but numbers that high had not been seen in centuries. The current Skylanders, for the most part, sat by element, chattering amongst themselves. A few of them took notice of me, but for the most part, everyone seemed pretty bored.

That changed when Icicle stepped into the arena. All eyes swiveled towards her and more than a few people looked genuinely surprised. Icicle was still wearing all the same clothing, but now had armor made of ice on her chest and shoulders. Long blades protruded from her arm guards and a belt circled her hips, two small knives at her sides. Gone was the unconfident air, the shy girl who looked confused and overwhelmed. Here was the Skylander Eon had promised, an elven warrior who looked ready for battle.

"Okay girls, let's see what you've got," Sunburn announced from his little booth. "Are you ready?" We both gave sharp nods. I brought my dragon fang daggers up and bent my knees, putting a foot behind myself. Icicle put her left foot slightly behind her, but other than that, didn't make any noticeable changes to her stance.

"Three...two...one...fight!"

I sprang from my crouch, rushing towards Icicle. She too took off and what she lacked in height was more than ten times made up for in speed. She covered the distance between us faster than most, a valuable asset for someone who no doubt was not especially strong. We met in the center of the arena, my daggers clashing against her arm blades. Determined to test her to her fullest, I forced her to go on the defensive, slashing with precision. It became clear she was used to this tactic; she expertly blocked each swipe, managing to get in a few swipes of her own.

Deciding to switch tactics, I used my stealth skills and vanished, leaving a decoy in my place. She took a few slashes at it before looking around furiously. Appearing behind her, I went in for a slash. Barely turning in time, she intercepted with one of her blades, just managing to deflect my blow. I repeated the move but this time she was prepared, jumping away from the decoy and throwing one of her knives. I dodged, and I'm glad I did. The blade sank into the decoy, freezing it into a block of solid ice. If it had hit me, I would have been an elfsickle.

Was Icicle trying to kill me? Probably not. From the expression of horror on her face, it was pure reflex. She was probably used to fighting on a much more risky scale, where one wrong move could mean death. As an elf of the Cloudbreak Islands, she no doubt had taken part in defending her home village and was used to fighting defensively, not offensively. That would have to change, of course; as Skylanders, the bulk of what we do is offensive, but she had good training in her. I gave her a sharp nod and she let out a small breath.

The blade returned to her belt and we resumed fighting. Figuring I deserved some payback, I used my whirling blade attack and managed to graze her arm, earning cheers from the stands. First blood drawn. Icicle responded with a jarring kick to the gut. Now she seemed really into the battle. A small smile appeared on her lips as we clashed blades again. She seemed to grow more comfortable and more confident with each stroke. We fought at a much smoother rate now, trading blows and trying to use every advantage to catch the other off guard.

I was overall impressed with her performance. I could have ended it there with a quick nod o Sunburn, but I couldn't shake the feeling that she was hiding something, something critically important. Normally, I wouldn't have pushed her this far, but for a girl like her, anything that could improve her image needed to be shown. I knew that my only option to draw out her wild card was to show her my own ace in the hole. Pulling back, I jumped up and flipped into my elven jitsu attack-

And that's when it happened. Icicle jumped as well and spread out her hands, powerful water magic emanating from her hands in light blue spheres. A thick coating of ice covered the arena floor from wall to wall. A small tendril wrapped around her boots, forming themselves into ice skates. I managed to land on my feet, but that's not saying much, considering I slipped and landed on my rear end. Icicle twirled herself down, landing flawlessly before stopping herself completely. She had a wide grin on her face.

"Don't tell me yer gettin tired already," she taunted. "I was just warmin up." Looks like I misplayed my hand. This wasn't her ace in the hole at all. Icicle was close combat fighter, but there was much more to her abilities, including skating and a strong command of water magic. She had lured me into thinking that she was purely combat based, catching me off guard, and most of the Skylanders as it seemed. They were all whispering amongst themselves. At least a few seemed to have predicted it, Cynder and Hex to name a few, but everyone looked really interested in what was going to happen next.

"Not at all," I replied, getting to my feet. Icicle smirked.

"Better keep up," she said before pushing off. I thought she was fast before, but the skates made her zip around the perimeter of the arena in seconds. In a race with Flameslinger, it would be too close to call. With a sharp turn, she zipped past me, grazing my arm in a similar fashion to what I had done to her. I managed to dodge her next few attempts, but I knew that if this had been a real battle, she would have thrown her knives by now or blasted me with her ice magic. So that's what she's been hiding. The sneaky bastard. I approve.

Not about to let the ice put me at a disadvantage, I went into stealth mode, using my speed to plant decoys. Icicle weaved her way through them, slashing at the decoys whenever possible. As she did that, I quickly slashed the ice around me, texturizing the ground enough for me to get a decent grip. When Icicle came it at full speed, I was able to meet her blades and even push her back. I was actually having a lot of fun and from the smile on Icicle's face, she was too. We made eye contact and the two of us sprang into the air-

"Stop!" Sunburn shouted. Both Icicle and I blinked in surprise before each of us did something way overly complicated to stop us from crashing to the ground. I twisted and landed in a crouch while Icicle did a quick spin down. I looked at Sunburn incredulously. Really? You stop us now? "I think that's enough for today," he announced. "Good job to the both of you, especially to you, Icicle. Welcome to the Skylanders." She cracked a wide grin, so unlike the girl who had popped through the portal and looked back at me.

"Well met, cousin," she said. If only I didn't have the mask on, she would see that I was matching her grin. I think the two of us are going to get along just fine.

"Well met."

* * *

So, I hope I didn't make the characters OCC. That is not the goal of this story.

Please review! It makes me feel all happy inside :)


	4. Chapter 3

Hey everyone. First off, thank you to everyone who's read this story. It really does mean a lot to me.

Just for a heads up, I'm not going to be able to update for a while, probably for another two weeks or so (vacation!) but I have not abandoned this story. Promise.

Now, as for this chapter, it is fairly dark. Necessary, but somewhat dark at times. If I say any more, I'll be giving too much away.

I don't own Skylanders. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

~Icicle

So, that's pretty how my first day as a Skylander went. The only thing I didn't cover was the subsequent endeavor of trying to find me a place to sleep...which took longer than the traveling, meet and greet, and battle _combined_. All in all, not too bad, if I do say so myself...except for the part where I almost froze Stealth Elf into a block of ice. That was not intentional. I'm going to have to figure out the rune combination for an on/off switch.

As for the next _two_ weeks, I was up to my ears in stuff that needed to get done. You wouldn't believe the amount of paperwork that needed to be filled out. I know it's for legal reasons, but fifty pages of paper could be summarized into one sentence: Protect people and don't do stupid stuff or you will be booted to the Outlands. After that came Hugo's entry into his big book of everything Skylands related on me and then more forms and more forms and more forms, then sign the contract and take seventeen billion tests. All in all, busy work took the better portion of two days.

And what about the other twelve days? One word.

Lodging.

I chose to live a small island near the Citadel. Skylanders don't have to at the Citadel itself unless they want to. The apartments were very nice, but they were little too crowded for my tastes. Now, when I say 'small island,' it was large enough for a house and a good amount of land besides, connected to the main island by a series of bridges. That's how most of the islands around the Citadel were connected, by lots and lots of bridges that ran between them for those who couldn't fly. If that failed, then each inhabited island had a helicopter dingy. No one ever used them. They didn't really work.

My new home already had a small house and a few trees, but it didn't stay that way for long. With the help of a few other Skylanders, I transformed it into a winter wonderland, with snow covering the ground and the trees in a perpetual frozen state. A small garden full of winter flowers was off to the side and I installed a small practice skating rink. Stone steps led up to the house that got a full renovation from top to bottom, inside and out, until it resembled a cozy structure that would not look out of place in Crystal Port. The furniture inside the house came from the depths of the storage rooms and did not match in any way, shape, or form, but by the end, it somehow reminded me of home.

Oh, and all my stuff came. That's a plus.

"Good morning, Icicle," Ghost Roaster said as I walked into the cafeteria. It was early enough that most of the Skylanders were still sleeping, but the undead seem to never need sleep, hence the ghoul. He was an excellent cook, probably the best I had ever met (sorry mom). "What'll it be?"

"Pancakes sound good," I replied, scanning the tables for somewhere to sit.

"Ice!" Stealth Elf called from across the hall. I met her eyes and flashed a grin. Stealth Elf was easily my closest friend after Spyro. She was easy to talk to and she wasn't afraid to speak her mind, something I appreciated. For some reason, she liked the fact that I tended to hide things, but maybe it's a ninja thing. Before either of us knew it, we had become inseparable and trained together whenever we got the chance. She showed me the ropes and told me everything I needed to know, and many things I probably didn't need to know as well.

Flameslinger sat next to Stealth Elf, nonchalantly trying to put an arm around her. He never got very far. Flameslinger was another close friend of mine. He flirted with practically every female Skylander, including me, but I kind of liked it. Very few guys, well, very few frost elf guys, had ever taken an interest in me. Oh, I knew he wasn't serious; it was pretty obvious he was trying to win Stealth Elf over. Still, he had a lot of good advice, and even if he was arrogant at times, it was kind of like having an older brother. He was the one who helped me figure out everyone's names.

"Gotcha!" a little voice cried. With a whump, Whisper Elf latched herself to my back, poking her head over my shoulder. "I got you!"

"Aye, ye certainly did," I replied. I liked Whisper Elf. She was like an exact copy of Stealth Elf, only she acted like a small child. From what I understood, she was from the Skylands Miniverse and had shown up a few months ago with the other sidekicks. Basically, she stuck to me like glue from the second she could. If Flameslinger was like my older brother, Whisper Elf was like my little sister. She could get annoying at times, but she was really sweet.

"Bye!" she said before vanishing. I watched as she appeared by Stealth Elf and Flameslinger, carrying an apple in her hands. It was amusing watching her try to eat it. I would say she bit off a little more than she could chew, but that's implying she even was able to bite the apple at all.

"Here ya go," Ghost Roaster said, handing me the plate of pancakes.

"Thank ye, Ghost Roaster," I replied. For the most part, everyone was really friendly. Whirlwind and Cynder were on the list of those who had gone over and above in making me feel welcome. The two dragonesses were so different, Whirlwind unpredictable in her emotions and Cynder snarky and witty, but they seemed unusually close and helped me along whenever they could.

Everyone else welcomed me as best as they could. The Tech Skylanders I found a bit hard to get along with, but they were kind in their own way. Sunburn and Eruptor seemed to like me to some degree, although both tried to stay away in fear that they'd melt me. That's just plain ridiculous; my powers are ice based, not my body. Camo, Stump Smash, and Zook were all pretty nice, same with Warnado and Sonic Boom, and Wrecking Ball, Double Trouble and Voodood were all really fun to hang out with. Prism Break and Terrafin didn't quite know what to think of me, but they seemed to respect me.

I was close with all of my fellow element Skylanders, Gill Grunt especially considering he lead the element. He made sure to check up on me every so often and was always willing to lend me a hand. Zap made me laugh with all the pranks he pulled and I though Wham Shell was both very powerful and very practical guy. Slam Bam and I were on frosty terms at first, but after we got into a conversation about the latest toboggan races between the Glacier Yetis and the Winter Elves, we warmed up to each other. In fact, a few days later, he walked over to me, put one hand on my head and loudly announced to everyone in earshot, "Alright, as of now, Icicle's my little sister and anyone who has a problem with her has to go through me!"

I must have been beet red at the time, but I really appreciated the gesture. Not everyone was one-hundred percent welcoming. Chop Chop was probably the most concerning of all of them since he lead the Undead Skylanders, but he was professional about it. He never said anything to my face, and I doubt it would play a role during combat, but he just didn't seem to like me all that much. Dino-Rang was another, but that might be because I accidentally called him a dragon. Bash didn't seem to like me, but then again, Bash doesn't seem to like many people. Ignitor and Lightning Rod, however, they were the ones who I was really worried about. They didn't just dislike me, they seemed to like making my life hard. I was always more than a little nervous when I was around them.

As I was walking over to my friends, I accidentally ran into Lightning Rod. He pushed me away and I fell over, spilling my food on the ground. He looked down on me, a gruff expression on his face. I tried to apologize but he beat me to the punch.

"Watch it, drow girl."

No. No-no-no-no-no-no. Not that. Not that. Anything but that. Please tell me he didn't say that, please tell me he didn't say that, please tell me he didn't say that...

The hall went silent. Facial expressions on the gathered Skylanders ranged from horror to disgust, all eyes fixed on us. My elven friends all shot up, Stealth Elf and Whisper Elf glaring dangerously while Flameslinger sneered. Slam Bam, having just walked into the cafeteria, contorted his face into a mask of rage and went straight up to Lightning Rod. With one hand, he grabbed Lightning Rod and flung him across the cafeteria.

I, however, did not see what happened afterwards. I scrambled to my feet and ran as fast and as far as I possibly could, out the doors, pass the buildings and across the island. I ran across every bridge I came too, hopping between the smaller islands until I found myself in a wooded area. Nature, the sanctuary of the elves. There, I collapsed under the largest tree I could find and burst into tears.

Drow girl. Why out of all the horrible things that he could have chosen to call me did he chose that one? Why did he chose that terrible name? Why, why, why? What was he trying to do, anyways? Put me in my place? What did I ever do to him?

Oh, right, I existed. Elves like me aren't supposed to exist.

I don't know how long I sat there sobbing. Time passes strangely when you're in anguish. When I finally was able to gather my senses, I felt the presence of...someone. And they were looking at me. I looked up and found Hex floating off to the side.

Hex was a mystery to me. No one spoke of her too much and I got the feeling that even the other elves were hesitant to talk about the dark elven sorceress. With her shadowy blue skin and white eyes, she was quite haunting to say the least. She wore a long black gown, a purple haze occupying where her feet should have been. An elaborate headdress covered her head and her nails were impeccably done into black points. Out of all the Skylanders, she was the only one I couldn't read.

"May I join you?" she asked. I shakily nodded my head. Hex floated over, carefully lowering herself to the ground until she sat next to me. She folded her hands and placed them on her lap, looking at me with a neutral expression. Hex said nothing but simply waited until my breathing had slowed and I was able to take a full breath without hiccuping. I don't want to admit how long that took.

"How are you liking it here?" she finally asked. I blinked a few times in surprise. Hex didn't seem like the small talk type of person.

"It's...alright, I suppose. I mean, I'm grateful that I'm here and all, and bein a Skylander is great but..."

"You were not expecting racial discrimination to happen here."

"I'm not surprised it did," I muttered. There are four main kinds of elves: the wood elves, which look like Stealth Elf, Flameslinger, and Whisper Elf, the frost elves, like the ones from my homeland, the mage elves, which Ninjini was rumored to have been, and the tree elves from the great Arcadian Timberland. And for a long time, they didn't intermix. That's just how things were; each to their own.

However, after many centuries had passed, they began to live together, and yes, have children, kids that didn't look like either of their parents. They had strange hair, strange skin, strange eyes, strange ears, strange everything. No one liked them. They weren't 'pure' anything. They were discriminated against, pushed away by everyone. Before anyone knew what happened, they embraced the Darkness, turning themselves into dark elves. Skylands called them drow. But drow doesn't mean dark elf; that's what it has come to mean, but that's not it's original definition. Drow means an elf of mixed blood.

An elf like me.

"Pay no attention to Lightning Rod. He thinks himself above everyone and has very low regard to other's feelings. He is only seen as 'charming' to those who do not know him for who he really is," Hex said with a touch of spite. She probably didn't have many good encounters with him either. "You are probably the least likely elf in the world to join the Darkness."

"What makes ye say that?"

"Considering your reaction, I would say you fear becoming a drow more than anything in the world," she replied. I shivered. Sorceresses. Somehow they always exactly know what you're thinking. It's spooky.

"I've always been afraid of goin dark," I said in a soft voice. "Mixed blood, bad blood; that's the old sayin. People say it's inside me, waitin fer the right time to come out, and that is doesn't matter what I do or who I'll become. Eventually, I'll crack and let it out. I don't know if it's true or not, but I'm always scared it's gonna happen. That I'll join the Darkness, whether of ma own free will or because of what's already inside me."

"And Lightning Rod did you the favor of reminding you of that," she finished. "However, it seems that that particular phrase did more damage than of he had just called you a drow. You do not have a good history with that phrase, do you?" I didn't immediately respond. I wasn't sure if I wanted to spill this to Hex. I wasn't worried she would tell anyone, the undead simply don't do that, but Hex was practically a stranger. However, I was hurt and like a lot of frost elves, I have a habit of running my mouth when I get to a state like this. Before I could make an even halfway decent judgement, I started talking. And just couldn't stop.

"Some kids in ma village would call me that every day, ask me when I was gonna go dark, when I would kill all of 'em. They'd tease me, try to provoke me, and since I was so much smaller, they could get away with it. A lot of adults turned a blind eye, not all of 'em, but it was pretty common. There was...one girl in particular who was particularly brutal to me and one day..."

* * *

 _"Hey look, it's the drow girl!" Sigga shouted at me, some of the other kids laughing as they pointed their fingers at me._

 _"I'm not a drow!" I cried back. I tried to run away, but her friends surrounded me, circling me like how predators capture prey._

 _"Look at yerself."_

 _"Ye look so weird."_

 _"Creepy eyes."_

 _"Weird hair."_

 _"Elephant ears."_

 _"Leaf skin."_

 _"How can ye not be a drow?" Sigga taunted. Tears were forming in my eyes. I was only six! Why was she doing this?_

 _"I'm not a drow! I'm not evil!" I desperately pleaded, raising my voice a little._

 _"Ooh, look, she's getting angry," a boy said._

 _"Look out! She's gonna kill us!" another girl fake screamed._

 _"Stop it! Please!" I shrieked, trying to break through. One of the older boys grabbed me, holding me tight while the others laughed. He threw me back into the center and I fell to the ground. Linking their hands, the children made a circle and skipped around me._

 _"Drow girl, drow girl, how do ye fair? I picked a bunch of flowers to weave through yer hair. Roses for yer hidden thorns, canna fer yer bloody mark, and a violet for the tiny drop it takes to turn ye dark!" they sang as I covered my ears. Not the song again! I was crying, tears running down my cheeks. Why were they doing this? Stop! Just stop! Stop it now!_

 _Without warning, a small pulse of ice magic shot out from my chest. It hit a few of the kids, knocking them back. It didn't really do anything, but they all looked really scared. Many backed away. I was shaking from head to toe. Not again. Why did my strange powers have to do this now?_

 _"See! She's a drow!" Sigga cried "She attacked us! Grab her!" I cowered as a few of the older boys grabbed me, dragging me through the forest. I tried to fight back but they were taller and much stronger than me. We got to town and they still didn't let up._

 _"Help! Help me!" I cried. Everyone looked away. Someone, help! They're gonna hurt me! Before too long, we were at the edge of the island. I screamed and tried to break free, but they were too strong. "No! Stop!"_

 _"Oi! Quit it!" a girl named Hailey shouted. "Leave her alone ye big bullies!" She tried to to get to me, but Sigga pushed her away. The boys threw me to the ground. Sigga came right up to my face. She had a scary smile on hers._

 _"Scared Drow girl? Then learn to fly!" Grabbing my arm, she walked to the edge of the island and with one throw, flung me off the island._

 _And I fell._

* * *

"And I kept fallin until an airship came by," I said. "Bunch of tree elves on it fer some reason. One of them, a young boy, caught me and the captain flew me back tae Crystal Port. I was in hysterics, naturally, but a sorcerer on board was able tae piece together what happened. When I got back and everyone found out the truth, ma parents were furious. Sigga and her crew were severely punished and they pretty much left me alone after that. I started trainin, stopped some trolls, and now I'm here. That's pretty much everythin."

I honestly could not believe I just narrated all of that to basically a complete stranger.

Hex listened to my story in silence. When I finished, she closed her eyes and we sat for a while, neither of us speaking. Surprisingly, I felt a little better. I had never told anyone the full extent of my story, not like this anyway. Everyone in Crystal Port knew what happened and the sorcerer handled it the first time. There never really was a second, never another time to tell it from my angle. Saying the story myself lifted a weight off my chest that I didn't really know existed.

"Well," Hex finally said as she opened her eyes. "In some ways, my childhood actually seems good compared to yours." Wait, what? Did I hear that right?

"I'm not sure I understand," I carefully replied. Hex looked at me, her face calm and collected as usual, but her eyes betrayed a small amount of wariness. I knew that expression. She wasn't completely sure if she wanted to tell me what was on her mind either.

"What kind of elf do you think I was before I joined the ranks of the undead?" The shock on my face must have been apparent. "Go ahead, answer truthfully, " she said. I bit my lip. No matter how I answered, this probably would not end well.

"Well...ye look like a mage elf tae me," I said. Hex shook her head.

"Not quite. My mother was a frost elf, a warrior born and bred in the Winter Keep itself." I blinked a few times. Hex was half frost elf like me. Well, sort of like me. Judging from her height, she probably wasn't half-wood elf. Wood and frost are the shortest of the elves (and I'm short compared to both of them). I was not expecting that at all. In a way, she and I were kin. That made me feel both a little relieved and a bit uncomfortable at the same time.

"And yer father?" Hex's face flashed with pain, sorrow, and anger for a split second before she returned to her neutral expression. A sudden feeling of dread came over me. Wrong question. Really, really wrong question. Can we postpone impending doom until after I write my will?

"My father..." Hex slowly replied. "...was a drow."

Oh.

 _Oh._

I mean, how else can you respond to that?

"Yer...half drow?" I whispered, not trusting myself to say it any louder. Hex nodded her head slightly.

"Yes," she confirmed. "I never did learn if I was a child born out of love, of force, or of an accident. Either way, my mother kept me as her own. She took me to Magetera and raised me among the mage elves when I was just a child. They were welcoming, or rather, they did not question my heritage after my gifts appeared. In hindsight, it's not that surprising I became an member of the undead."

"Why are ye tellin me all this?" I finally blurted out, unable to keep it down any longer. "We barely even know each other. We're practically strangers!" Hex looked at me, her face expressionless.

"You gave me part of your life story. It only seems fair I give you a part of mine, since I am assuming that you already know of my quarrel with Malefor," she replied. Well, when you put it that way...

"But why are ye trustin me with this?" I asked.

"Because you do not seem like someone who likes gossip," she answered.

"Ye do realize I was raised amon frost elves, right?"

"Or I could make you forget this exchange ever happened," Hex said as her eyes glowed a violent shade of white.

"Yer good," I stammered as her eyes dimmed back to its normal shade. Hex was truly terrifying. And a sorceress. A dark sorceress. A dark, undead, elven sorceress who probably blast me into oblivion if she wanted to. So, yeah. No being a smart ass.

And then something equally disturbing came to my mind.

"How'd ye find me?" I demanded. Hex looked up into the tree (and yes, it is possible to tell when someone is not looking at you if they have featureless eyes. It's just really hard. I should know; it took until I was eleven before I was able to tell if my mother was looking me in the eye). I followed her gaze.

"Looks like the jig is up," she said to the branches.

"Damn it, Hex," a familiar voice swore.

"You promised you wouldn't rat us out!" an equally familiar voice wined.

"I am not taking the fall for this one," she stated.

And two sets of eyes and a blindfold popped out of the branches.

Now, considering the circumstances, I expected myself to scream. Or launch into a profanity laced rant. Or scream and then launch into a profanity laced rant. I do have some pride as a half frost elf.

Instead, this happened.

"That's not funny," I said to the branches. The sound of rustling leaves filled the air and the three wood elves dropped to the ground.

Current opinion of my friends: sneaky, eavesdropping, traitorous assholes who had neglected to tell me that Hex was in their inner circle.

"Who put the tracker on me?" I demanded.

"Not my idea."

"Wasn't me."

"Do you really think I would do something like that?"

"Maybe?"

"And ye listened to all that."

"Yep."

"You've got major issues, Ice."

"Well, I was sitting next to you."

"Do you need a hug?"

"Go burn in hell, ye bastards."

"I have been there already. It only is on fire in certain places."

"So, we're all good?" Stealth Elf asked me.

"How do ye get 'all good' out of that?" Stealth Elf shrugged.

"You're a frost elf. I have to assume that everything that comes out of your mouth is sarcasm."

"Half frost elf," I reminded them with a smile. "And yer wron. But thanks. I'm still mad about ye eavesdroppin."

"We were gonna find out eventually," Whisper Elf piped up. "Don't worry, Icey. I won't let ya go dark."

"None of us will," Stealth Elf confirmed.

"If you do, though, I'll make sure to tell you you're beautiful," Flameslinger teased as he plopped down beside me. "Ah, you should 'ave seen ze fight! Zey destroyed everything! Tables, chairs, the chandelier, nothing was left standing. Lightning Rod will not be moving for quite some time now."

"You know, it looked better in color than in flame vision or whatever you have," Stealth Elf added as she sat across from me. Whisper Elf jumped into my lap.

"I can see in color!" Flameslinger retorted. "It is just somewhat orange!"

"Uh huh, sure," Stealth countered. The two continued to argue while Whisper Elf told me what had happened while I was gone from her perspective. Hex watched everything with her usual neutral expression but made no sign that she wanted to leave. I guess she really was a close friend of the other elven Skylanders.

And I guess I am too. Sure, we're all very different and come from different elements and backgrounds, but we're all elves. We all love nature. We're all Skylanders. We all got each other's backs. And that's what really matters.

So screw anyone who tries to call me a drow.

* * *

So, yeah. That happened. Things will get more interesting. Just give me a few more chapters.

Remember, it'll be a while before I update. Until then, please review!


	5. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! I'm back!

So, I don't have much to say this time around, only that I don't own Skylanders.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

~Icicle

Ah, the Skylanders' mission island. My most and least favorite place in the entire Citadel. Now, it was a very nice open space with lots of land and beautiful gardens. The building itself was amazing, with high ceilings and magnificent architecture. It also had one of the best views in Skylands, hands down. Along the golden brown walls were various historical scenes, all the way from the Arkeyan invasion to the return of the Portal Masters centuries ago. It should have been one of the most amazing places in the Citadel.

The only problem?

The fact it was one of the few places that non-Skylanders could go to at the Citadel. Translation: It was always packed.

I squeezed through the crowds of people, all of them shouting at poor Hugo. He looked like he needed an assistant. Or two. Or fifteen. It was stifling, bodies pressed wall to wall even though the room was designed for crowds. For once, I was really glad I was small enough to not get noticed as I made my way to the back of the room. Ducking behind a pillar, I touched a small panel that looked a lot like a grape cluster. A hidden doorway slid open and I jumped inside, pulling it shut behind me. The cacophony muffled and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Crowds. I hate crowds.

"Who's there?" someone shouted from above me. My eyes traveled up the hollow pillar and I found Terrafin looking down.

"Good mornin, Terrafin!" I shouted back.

"Morning Icicle! One sec!" A rope fell down the shaft, stopping just a few inches short. Huffing, I jumped and managed to grab onto it before Terrafin hoisted me up and out of the fake pillar and into the room.

Resting above the mission building, this room was a hidden lounge/meeting place for the Skylanders where all of us came to get our assignments. It had a bunch of cushy chairs and couches with a small kitchen off to the side. A weapon's rack hung from one of the walls, displaying a lot of miscellaneous weaponry that rarely got used. Light filtered down from the skylight, showing off the small tubes came up the sides of the walls.

"Hello everyone," I said to my gathered colleagues. There were seven Skylanders gathered in the common area: Terrafin, Warnado, Sunburn, Sonic Boom, Drobot, Boomer, and Stump Smash. I was a little surprised. Usually, the common room was fairly deserted after ten o'clock. Must be a slow day.

"Whose bright idea was to put this place up here..." Terrafin demanded, "...and didn't have the sense to put in an elevator?!"

"Don't know," Sunburn said. "But whoever did should be shot."

"Whoever made this place is probably dead, Sunburn," Warnado said in exasperation. "And you can't complain. You can fly through the skylight."

"Technically you can too."

"Not without causing a tornado and flinging all of our clients to the four winds," he fired back before turning to me. "So, what are you looking for, Icicle? Chompie invasion, lost item retrieval?"

"Eon wants me fer somethin," I said. Sunburn looked at me with an expression that mixed pity with smirking.

"You're gonna get something really weird then."

"How bad could it be?" I replied before mentally kicking myself. Great job, Icicle. You've jinxed yourself.

About a month had passed since I joined the Skylanders. After settling in, I had pretty much been going on missions nonstop. Nothing too difficult, of course; I'm the newbie and I have zero to no idea what I'm actually doing. That, and anything even remotely interesting was usually gone by the time I was able to get to command central. So I did a lot of Chompie pest control, delivered a few miscellaneous items, and located some stolen artifacts.

"If it's from Eon, you never know," Warnado said. A small whooshing sound and everyone snapped up, looking around the room. Even as new as I was, I recognized that sound: a tube carrying an urgent mission from someone in the room below. Most of what was brought to the Skylanders wasn't actually within our jurisdiction. The majority of our work came from reports from mayors and other leaders. That was often more than enough to handle. However, every once in a while, Hugo found something that actually was important.

"Incoming!" Boomber shouted. A flyer shot out of one of the tubes at warp speed, zooming across the room and plastering itself on Sunburn's face. The force was so strong, it flung him backwards a couple feet before he hit the wall. All the gathered Skylanders, including myself, burst out laughing. The dragon/phoenix hybrid got to his feet and brushed the flyer off his face, looking highly annoyed, before scanning it. His face darkened and we all fell silent.

"Trouble at the Whipwind Mountains. There's been massive avalanche and skeleton invasion. Dozens of people trapped. At least three Skylanders are needed, preferably ones that can fly," Sunburn read off. "I'm going."

"Count me and my babies in," Sonic Boom said as she stretched out her wings.

"Coordinates set," Drobot confirmed, tapping the side of his goggles. "We're off!" With that, the three Skylanders leapt into the air and out the skylight. I watched as the three flew off, becoming smaller dots across the sky. It was amazing how they could get assembled so quickly when the time came, barely having to say a word before leaping into action.

When they were finally out of sight, I pushed open a set of double doors and went out to the covered balcony. There, Master Eon stood by a portal, watching the clouds. He turned my direction and smiled.

"Ah, Icicle. You got my summons, I see."

"Aye, Master Eon. What do ye need?" I asked, closing the doors behind me.

"I've been noticing that you've been taking only the simpler tasks these past two weeks," he began and I looked away, my face flushing a little. "While I understand that it has been simply the luck of the draw, the best way to get improve is to challenge yourself. Now, the reason I have called you here is because another Skylander has requested you for a specific assignment, although I do think it might be a bit much."

"What do ye mean?" I asked.

"Come here," he said, motioning to the portal. I peeked over the edge and saw a very large forest reflected on the portal's surface. "That is Treetop Terrace, also known as the Tree of Life to the native Treemen. Recently, patrols of drow have been seen in the woods and many of its inhabitants have gone missing. Your job would be to find them, find the missing Treemen, and drive the drow out."

Drow. Like, actual drow. He wanted me. To fight drow.

Does not compute. Error 404.

Enter command: reset.

Okay, much better.

Intellectually, I knew that this day had to come. I mean, when people think of the servants of Darkness, drow is near the top of the list. Inevitably, this would have to happen. It's just...in the most literal sense of the word, I am a drow. Do I ever want to become one? About as much as I want to visit hell. Do I feel comfortable with fighting super distant kin? Not exactly. Do I have much of a choice?

...damn it.

"Well...who's askin fer me?" I finally managed to spit out of my discombobulated brain.

"I believe it is Chop Chop. I originally assigned this mission to him this morning, but he is requesting back up," Master Eon replied. This day just kept getting better and better. Working with one of the guys who doesn't like me. Welcome to life, Icicle. You may not like people, and people may not like you, but you're gonna have to smile and work with them anyway.

Wait...if he doesn't like me, why'd he ask for my help?

Maybe the guy is really that professional. Or he really wants to see me mess up.

Eh, I'll deal with that bridge when I get to it.

"I think I can handle it," I said, pulling myself onto the stone rim.

"Are you certain?" Master Eon asked. I nodded my head, even if my mind was screaming 'you are an idiot!' at the top of its nonexistent lungs. "Very well then. Good luck." With that, I swung my legs over and dropped into the portal.

In a second, I found myself sitting on a large branch, my legs dangling off into open air. The trees around me were massive and stretched high into the sky, weaving between the smaller islands haphazardly. Each individual leaf was bigger than my entire body and it looked like an entire village could fit in just one hallow. It was both really cool and really humbling at the same time.

"There you are," a hollow voice said from behind me. I turned and saw Chop Chop standing by the trunk of the tree, his expression unreadable. Then again, his head is a helmet. "Come, we have work to do." Quickly scrambling to my feet, I followed him down the tree ramps, passing by small villages of Treemen. It was eerily quiet.

"So, have ye found the campsite?" I hesitantly asked, trying to break the silence. Chop Chop looked back at me, his lightbulb eyes boring holes through my skull.

"If I had found the campsite, I wouldn't have called for back-up," he impatiently said. I found my eyes drifting to the tops of my shoes, my face growing hot. Then, I managed to process his words a little further and looked back up, meeting his eyes.

"Ye want me tae find 'em?" I inquired. Chop Chop slightly nodded his head.

"As the old saying goes, it takes an elf to find an elf," he replied. "And you were the only one who didn't already have an assignment."

So, I'm to be a guide/tracker/hidden invading force finder in a place I've never been before and I don't even remotely specialize in any of the above three.

No pressure.

I bit my lip, trying to put myself into the mindset of...well...my worst nightmare. If I was trying to hide my presence here, where would I go?

"Well...if I were tryin tae hide maself here..." I slowly began, "...I'd be on the ground. Most of the people here live in the tree tops, so it'd be easier tae set up down below an climb up than try tae hide a force amon the branches an leaves. I think we should start there."

Well...that happened.

"I mean...that's one place we could look," I sputtered out, feeling like kin to a firetruck.

"Makes sense," Chop Chop said after a few seconds had passed. "Down we go." Turning towards another path, he continued down the tree. I rushed to catch up, not trusting myself to use my skates. Moderately flat surface, fine. Tree branch? No thank you. I'd rather not fall to my death, thank you very much.

We climbed down the giant tree, hopping between the branches for what felt like hours. More than once, we had to backtrack due to blocked trails or swarms of corn hornets. There are few things I hate more than corn hornets. They shoot stingers that are impossible to dodge and hurt like hell, not to mention that they take absolutely forever to kill. This pattern continued until we reached the bottom of Treetop Terrace...or would it be called something else now that we aren't in the treetops?

I'm thinking...Super Giant Plant Haven.

It was considerably darker, the large leaves from above blocking out the majority of the sunlight. The ground was blanketed in fallen logs and foliage, with bushes and other smaller shrubbery lining the forest floor, 'smaller' being at least ten feet tall as opposed to hundreds. A few giant mushrooms towered over me, giving off a strange pale yellow glow. As an elf, I felt rather at home among the giant flora.

Time to get to work. I closed my eyes, focusing on the sounds around me. Birds sang their sweet songs, cicadas buzzed, frogs croaked, time passed.

And then I heard it. A small crack, like someone stepping on a branch. I snapped my head around, focusing on the direction the sound came from. It could've just be an animal, but...as quickly and as quietly as I could, I ran towards the sound. Chop Chop closely followed behind me, his footsteps muffled by the fallen leaves. The forest grew darker as we moved away from the giant trees, the bushes growing thicker until even I could see the soft glow coming from my eyes.

Just when I was beginning to think that I was the worst guide in Skylands' history and was only going to find a whole bunch of nothing, I made out the sound of footsteps. Lots of footsteps, like a small army marching. Focusing harder, I made out the clang of metal armor, a few miscellaneous voices, and quite a few choice naughty words.

By this point, the noise had escalated to the point where even Chop Chop noticed. He drew his sword, the metal catching the fragments of light and scattering it. I gulped and placed a hand on one of my knives, trying to slow my ever quickening heartbeat.

We came upon the camp so suddenly that Chop Chop had to forcibly stop me from stumbling right into it. Yanking me behind a bush, he gave me a hard stare before pointing at his eyes and then in the direction of the camp. I got the gist of what he wanted me to do. Scanning the shrubbery, I found a small opening between the leaves and looked into the camp.

By the Ancients.

Drow.

At first glance, they didn't look too different from any other elf: pointed ears, glowing eyes, fairly short. But then, you notice the blue-green skin, the sharp points ears to their ears, and their soulless eyes. They're just a little too tall, a little too gaunt, a little too militarized. Their clothes are off, their stance haughty and sinister, their voices cutting and sharp. They're elves...but they're not. Distant kin, but ones who decided to embrace the darkness.

Elves like myself.

Stop. Stop. Stop right there. Go any further and you won't be able to do your job.

I forced myself to look at the actual camp. Remember your training, Icicle. You're a soldier surveying the enemy. Okay, let's see...fairly sparse, mostly tents, moderate defensive capabilities though, roughly two dozen foot soldiers, a dozen archers, but no witches. That can't be right. They must be out of sight. Add another twenty at least...so, not as bad as it could be, but not ideal conditions either.

Oh...and there's the hostage cages. Great...

Tearing my eyes away from the scene, I looked to see what Chop Chop had planned-

Except he wasn't there.

Cue screaming and clanging swords.

I guess that's the plan.

I quickly formed my ice skates, iced the ground beneath me, and zipped into the camp, blades at the ready. Chop Chop was battling, count them, _seven_ drow spearmen at the same time with a few scattered at his feet already. And he was clearly winning, slicing and dicing almost casually at the spearmen. _Seven._

For some reason, Whirlwind's statement about fighting Chop Chop being classified as cruel and unusual punishment flickered into my head. I can see what she meant by that.

Ready to get in on the action myself, I flung my knives at the first two spearmen I could find (check that, spear _women_ ). They flew true and struck one on the chest, the other on the shoulder. Both ended up as solid blocks of ice. Another spearmen rushed me and I vaulted over the pole, slashing my skate across his face. He fell with a cry and I kept on. My knives returned to my belt for less than a second before I threw them at a pair of archers and I had barely enough time to turn and slice my blades into a drow's chest. It made visible slashes in the armor but didn't break through. He brought his spear up only to get a sword through his chest. Chop Chop pulled it out, bashing another attacker with his shield.

"Free the hostages!" he shouted as he lopped off someone's head. "Take out as many archers as you can and find the witches!"

"Aye, sir!" I shouted back, icing myself a path. I zig zagged through the advancing spearmen and women towards the hostage cages, doing as Chop Chop requested and getting rid of as many archers as I could from afar. At one point, I was fed up enough with my knives' slow return times that I full out blasted a female archer with a shot of pure ice. Safe to say, she's not a threat anymore.

As I neared the captive Treemen, they all cheered and cried out for help before widening their eyes in fear. I turned and just barely dodged two massive shields that slammed into the ground. The resulting shock was enough to knock me off my feet. I looked up and found myself facing an elf more than six feet tall and with muscles larger than my torso staring down at me. He grinned, showing off long, pointed teeth.

A goliath drow.

Oh, come on! There's already upwards of fifty drow here and you have to throw in one that's twice my height and ten times my weight in too!? Someone up there must be laughing his or her head off.

"Ye've gotta be kiddin me!" I exclaimed before I was smacked clear across the clearing, hitting a tree trunk with a loud thunk. Pain shot up my spine and I let out a little cry as I crumpled to the ground. Something cracked. Everything hurt. Why does everything hurt? Why is everything spinning?

"Skylander!" someone shouted. Through my dazed vision, I saw a fist coming for my face. Snapping back to reality, I ducked and took a swipe at the goliath drow's chest, sliding beneath his legs and putting as much distance as I dared between us. While his back was turned, I shot a bolt of ice. In an explosion of ice crystals, it hit him in the dead center of his back...but it didn't freeze him. He turned, picked up his shields, and charged me.

Hey...this is like fighting cyclopses. Best way to defeat them: get them to fall.

The goliath drow kept advancing. Closer...just a little closer...at the last second, I froze the ground in a thick layer of ice and threw my knife low to the ground. Not expecting the slippery surface, the drow dropped to the ground like a rock, leaving him a sitting duck. Er, laying duck. My knife hit his hip and low and behold, ice sculpture a la drow.

Elder elementals, my head hurts.

The Treemen all loudly cheered, their voices making a jumbled ringing in my ears. Not bothering to find the key, I froze the locks and smashed the cage doors open. The grateful tree creatures spilled out, thanking me before rushing up the trees to higher ground.

"Thank you, Skylander!" a little child called to me before disappearing into the leaves.

"Yer welcome," I shouted back, holding my head. I shut my eyes, trying to escape visual stimuli and get my head together. Ugh, please don't be a concussion. Okay, hostages freed, check. Subdued archers, check. Wasn't there something else I was supposed to do?

And why did everything suddenly just stop hurting?

Startled, I opened my eyes. Green tendrils were snaking across my body, wrapping around my arms and back. A warm feeling coasted over my body and I felt as if I had slept for a week on cloud nine. Just as quickly as they appeared, they were gone, fading into strips of colorless magic.

Holy crap, someone just healed me. And there aren't many individuals that can heal with green magic.

"Thank you, Sparen," a decidedly female voice said. "That'll be all for now." I slowly turned around. There were two individuals floating not twenty feet away from me. One was a life spell punk, probably the person named Sparen, robed in verdant robes that covered everything except for the little wizard's face. This was not my first encounter with the mischievous healers, they're everywhere in the Cloudbreak Islands, but this was the first time I had been healed by one of Kaos' servants. The spell punk laughed, nodded his head in my direction, and floated on his way.

The other...the other individual was most definitely a drow witch. Even without floating, she stood at least four and a half feet tall, making her taller than even most dark elves. She sported the long turquoise robe and tunic of the dark elven witches, with a small amount of blue hair poking out the back of her pointed hat. Her ears were large and cupped, her eyes cold and featureless. But her skin was not blue green.

It was _purple_.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" the drow witch purred. "A drowling Skylander. I never thought I'd see the day." Drowling, as in, 'a derogatory term for an elf of mixed blood often used to make already vulnerable member of elvish society even more so. Often taken very badly by such elves.'

Case in point: I wanted to blast her. I wanted to duke it out here and now, elf vs. elf, until one of us obliterated the other into dust.

Instead, I just glared daggers at her, hoping she got the message.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I strike a raw nerve there?" she asked in a sugar sweet tone. "I hope I haven't ruined any chances for a civilized discussion."

"Quit yer blabberin," I spat. "Ye just insulted me. I'd rather bash yer brains in."

"But you show restraint."

"Ye healed me. I thought I'd give ma thanks before we try and kill each other."

"You are curious individual, are you not? Would you like to know why I did?"

"Tae try and get somethin out of me."

"Clever girl," the drow witch said with a smile. "I have a proposition for you. Let us go our separate ways. I have no quarrel with you and I would rather not waste a gift I have just given. Perhaps you did dispatch a few of my kin but I am willing to put that behind us and save the fighting for another day."

I have to admit, it didn't seem like that bad of an idea. Frost elves have a very high sense of honor, even when it comes to our enemies. Since the drow witch healed me and didn't decide to outright kill me, I owed her something. She was correct; the two of us had no personal reason to hate the other. Plus, I wasn't sure what my chances were of being able to defeat her.

And then I remembered the Treemen.

"If yer tryin tae make a deal with me cause ye healed me," I began, "...ye can go throw yerself off a cliff. Yer threatnin the people here and ye work fer Kaos. I don't make deals with people who hurt others fer any reason."

The drow witch's smile split into a wide grin. She threw back her head and laughed. It was a genuine evil laugh that exposed her sharp teeth and the temperature around us dropped by several degrees. The wind picked up, swirling around the clearing. Even though I was used to sub zero weather back home, I couldn't help but shiver.

"Well then..." the witch said in an amused tone as she spread her arms out. "...to battle we go." Dark magic spiraled up her body and snaked around her arms. She threw it towards me. I hopped to dodge the attack and simultaneously threw my knives, The drow witch calmly put up a shield and deflected them away. That sent up red flags. Drow witches tend to be offensive fighters, not defensive. That much I knew from never having fought them.

What is this woman?

With a hand gesture from the witch, the wind picked up again, focusing around me. Before I knew what happened, I was in the center of a cyclone, floating high above the ground. I tried to use my ice to do something, anything, but ice blasts are not meant to stop wind storms. Another gesture and the dark magic around the drow witch spiraled up the cyclone and around me, trapping my arms to my sides.

"Surprised, dearie?" she asked. "I am Malina. You would do well by remembering my name. I suppose you could call me the leader of this operation."

"Hullo, I'm Icicle. Ice tae meet 'cha. Please tell me the rest of yer plan. It makes ma job a lot easier," I said while trying to keep my voice from shaking. Malina smiled.

"Since you asked so nicely, I'll indulge. Kaos asked me to harvest the Tree of Life for its energy," she said, narrowing her eyes seductively. "However, I believe I have found a much better prize. It's been so long since I've been able to turn a drowling."

Waving her hands in a complex pattern, the dark tendrils tightened around me. The corrosive magic bled through the fabric of my dress and I cried out in pain as it seemed to burn my skin. Malina began to chant in a language I didn't recognize, dark magic swimming under her skin as she wove her spell.

I desperately fought against the magic, summoning a small amount of ice magic with all the will I could muster, but I couldn't even let it loose. I was vastly outclassed. My feeble attempt paled in comparison to the sheer power Malina was using. I could feel the dark magic burning its way through my body, trying to reach my core and poison me. Nothing I did could break through her spell. I even tried to tap the dormant elements that existed deep within me. Fire, life, earth, nothing came. I reached deeper, desperate for anything.

I don't want to be a drow.

 _Use me._

Suddenly, _energy_ flooded my body. There's no other way to describe what happened. One second, I was fighting against the dark magic with everything I possessed, and then something else was backing me up. Seizing the energy, not knowing what it was or what it would do, I focused it into my already summoned ice. It flooded the small ball, turning it from a pale blue to a rainbow of color. I could feel the stress on my body and knew I couldn't keep it bottled much longer.

"I'm not yer prize!" I cried and let it fly. Energy exploded out of the ball, flooding the clearing in light. It obliterated the darkness, the cyclone, the ice I had cast earlier, anything that resembled elemental summonings. Malina widened her eyes in shock before wrapping herself in shadows and disappearing. I collapsed on the ground.

That's about all I remember before blacking out.

* * *

"Icicle. Icicle."

I slowly opened my eyes, light flooding my vision and my head hurting something fierce.

"Are you alright?"

What in the name of all that is good just happened?

"Ma head hurts," I mumbled. A hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me into a sitting position. When I was able to see straight, I found that Chop Chop was kneeling next to me.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I was fighting drow witches when a large blast came from this clearing," he replied. "They fled while I was distracted. I came over here and found you unconscious."

"I was fighting a drow witch...she called herself Malina," I said.

"Did she have purple skin?" he asked. I nodded, which only made my headache worse. "It is her. Malina is the head witch of the Dark Coven. She is the most powerful drow witch in all of Skylands and arguably one of the most powerful in Skylands' history."

"She escaped," I muttered.

"To beat her, you would have to be a sorceress with power greater than Hex. Are the Treemen free?"

"Aye."

"Then our job is done," he said. He paused. "You did well today. I can see why Eon chose you." Despite my headache, I managed a smile. While Chop Chop summoned a portal, I held my head and tried to think. I just went toe to toe with one of the most powerful witches in Skylands' history and survived.

How?

Why?

And what in the world was that?

* * *

I'll let you guys try and figure out what exactly is happening. And you can bet Malina will be coming back.

And I promise the next chapter will be what you've been waiting for.

Please review :)


	6. Chapter 5

Hey everyone! Thank you to everyone who reviewed.

Technow- You know, I never thought about Icicle being a mix between Freeze Blade and Chill but now that you mention it, she kind of is.

So, this chapter is considerably shorter than the others by design. It'll make sense once you start reading.

Skylanders doesn't belong to me and enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

~Icicle

"Hiyah!" Whisper Elf cried as she set a volleyball high in the sky. Stealth Elf responded with a spike that hurled toward the center of the court. I dove for it. As did Flameslinger. We both missed. The two of us sprawled on the ground as the ball implanted into the sand, sending tiny granules directly into our faces.

"That's ten for us, two for you," Stealth Elf said. I can guarantee that if I could have seen her face from the nose down, I would be seeing a smirk.

"I stopped playin sports after I turned twelve," I grumbled as I wiped sand off my face. "Now I remember why."

"How is zis fair?" Flameslinger asked, getting to his feet. He offered me a hand and I took it for good measure, "Ze two of us against two ninjas. Zat is like asking a fish to walk across the desert in high heels."

"You're the one who has the blindfold," Stealth Elf pointed out.

"I can see!" he exclaimed indignantly. "How many times do I have to say it?"

"Until you prove that you actually can," she replied. "Hex, why don't you join and help even the odds?"

"You said you wished to play beach volleyball. Beach volleyball has two players on each side. I would hate to violate the rules, or get in the middle of your tournament," Hex said from under a palm tree, an open book in her hands. From the size and wear, it looked to be a spell book, although it could've just been a really old tome. Stealth Elf looked back at us and my level of confidence dropped into my stomach.

This was a mistake.

"Do not worry, Icicle," Flameslinger confidently reassured me with a pat on the back. "We are not losing zis."

"We better not."

"We will not. Let's do zis!"

"Game on!" Whisper Elf shouted.

"Ten, two!" Stealth Elf called as she served the volleyball. Flameslinger intercepted. I set the volleyball as high as I could, mirroring Whisper Elf's movements from before. With a powerful leap, Flameslinger jumped, smashing the volleyball across the court. Whisper Elf dove, hitting the volleyball back up to Stealth Elf.

So, apparently this is what happens when the Skylanders have a collective day off.

People scatter to the four corners of Skylands and play a lot team sports and/or poker.

Works for me.

It was a well deserved break, too. Six months had passed since my first day as a Skylander. Things had been fairly uneventful, save the two weeks of hell that is the yearly harvest, and I was beginning to wonder why Spyro said they urgently needed help when everything was comparatively calm. I mean, sure there were a few invasions we had to deal with, but nothing that was much different than what I had done back home. I still had plenty of time off, most of which was absorbed up by hours in the library, pouring over books.

See, I still had absolutely no idea what happened during my fight with Malina. The strange voice? Never came back. I mentally asked at least once a day and got a bunch of crickets. The weird energy surge? No idea where it came from and no idea how to access it again. And did any of the books on the nature of Skyland's elements have anything to help me out? Of course not. That's not to say I didn't keep looking, but it was getting extremely frustrating.

And why didn't I ask anyone, you might ask? Mostly because I didn't think they would know either. I mean, weird stuff happens in Skylands all the time; that's just how our world works. But something like that, which doesn't seem to fit in with any element, period, just doesn't show up that often. Plus, without anything to show for it, I'd likely get blank stares and mental hospital visits.

So, yeah, I spent a lot of time in the library for the better portion of four months.

And then came July.

It was like the flood gates opened and problems just kept spilling out, and, or course, we were the only force strong enough to stop it. In any given week, we could be dealing with trolls, skeletons, cyclopses, drow, spell punks, trogs, and a seemingly infinite number of Chompies. Discord storms popped up at least as one per week, sometimes daily in certain parts of Skylands, and caused more destruction than the troll's holiday of Boomsia. Everyone was working overtime and I honestly couldn't remember getting a full night's sleep without being dragged out of bed at three a.m to fight spell punks.

You can imagine the shock, and sheer euphoria, that erupted when Master Eon said that we could all have the day off.

In a nutshell, that's how I found myself playing volleyball on the Citadel's beach with my best friends

"Twenty-one to eighteen!" Whisper Elf shouted as the volleyball hit the sand. "We win!" The two ninjas high-fived. Flameslinger and I looked at each other in horror.

"Okay, Flame, Ice. Time to keep your end of the bet," Stealth Elf said, picking Whisper Elf up and placing her on her shoulders. She walked around to the other side of the net, deliberately taking her time and never taking eyes off of us. "Let's see it."

"Must we, Stealth Elf?" Flameslinger asked. "I did not think you a person to humiliate your friends like zis."

"We made a deal. If your team wins, you and I go on a date and Whisper Elf gets to train with Icicle for a day. You lose..."

"I know, I know," Flameslinger sighed.

"It's not happenin, Stealthy," I said with a glare.

"Okay then. I'll just tell everyone at breakfast tomorrow that you two are-"

"We'll do it!" I panicked, shouting maybe a little too loud. Elder elementals, not that!

I looked at Flameslinger. He looked at me.

Is it too late to change my name and move somewhere far, far away?

"Might as well get it over with," he said with a smile.

"Remind me why I agreed tae this," I muttered.

"To be fair, I did not think we would loose," Flameslinger said. "And it could be worse."

"Just do it already," I mumbled, turning a bright shade of fire engine red. Flameslinger closed the gap between us, put his arms around me-

And pecked me on the forehead.

"That's not a kiss!"

"You said I had to kiss her. You never specified where, ma chérie," Flameslinger said with a smile. With a shriek, Stealth Elf just about pounced on the archer, the two engaging in the most deadly game of tag I'd seen in my life. Hex watched the whole proceedings with a bemused expression on her face before turning back to her reading. While the two wood elves where duking it out, Whisper Elf climbed onto my back.

"You okay, Icey?" she asked.

"Aye..." I muttered as I walked over to where Hex was sitting. I summoned a small amount of ice, hoping the cold would shock me back to my senses, or if nothing else, cool down my cheeks. With a huff, I plopped down next to Hex, burying my flaming face in my hands.

"Was that your first time?" Hex inquired, not looking up from her reading.

"I'm a half-frost elf lass that's child sized. Most of the guys thought I was gonna bite 'em, that I was a nervous wreck, or that datin me would make 'em look like perverts," I said to my hands. "So, tae answer yer question, aye."

"It's not really real, Icey," Whisper Elf piped up. "Look at it this way. There wasn't any love involved, so really, it wasn't your first time. He kissed you. You didn't kiss him back."

"Tell that tae ma face," I mumbled. "Remind me tae never make bets with Stealth Elf."

"Okey doky," Whisper Elf said. "Um, Icey, Hex?"

"Aye?"

"Yes?"

"What's that?" she asked, pointing into the sky. Dark, ominous clouds were billowing high into the atmosphere, creeping their towards the Citadel. They covered the sun, blocking out all light and kicking up a powerful gust, stirring the calm waters. Lightning flashed, forking between the clouds as they slowly formed into funnels.

"Discord storm? Here?" Stealth Elf asked as she and Flameslinger walked over to where we were sitting. "This just isn't fair."

"That is no discord storm," Hex slowly said before a blaring alarm sounded from the Citadel. We jolted into action. Stealth Elf and Whisper Elf grabbed their daggers while I froze my armor in place. Hex tossed me my knives while Flameslinger strapped his quiver to his back and picked up his bow. We took one last look at each other before we all broke into a full on sprint back to the Citadel.

Flameslinger took the lead, leaving a trail of flames in his wake as he sped towards the main island. I switched to my skates and zoomed after him. Above us, dragons and other flight enhanced Skylanders swooped into Citadel airspace with many flying ships in close pursuit. Since the mission office was closed, there weren't too many people remaining on the islands, but the ones that showed up were fleeing onto ships.

"Everyone get out! This place is going to get dangerous quick!" Hugo shouted, untying the last airship from the dock. Throwing open one of the underground hatches, he jumped down into the tunnel system. I gulped.

This cannot be good.

I skidded to a stop outside the main building. The Skylanders were gathering on the front lawn, drawing their weapons and taking practice swings. Every so often, some one would glance up to the advancing cloud and sneer, or fire a shot or two if said person had the ability. No one was saying much but it wasn't too hard to figure out what was happening, especially when the rest of my teammates dropped down from portals in the sky.

"I had a good hand too," Dino-Rang said as Spyro flew out of command central, landing on the steps with a somber expression on his face.

"Skylanders!" Spyro announced. "Kaos is back."

"No really?" Terrafin shouted, earning a chorus of chuckles. "What tipped you off, the giant cloud behind us?"

"As I was saying," Spyro said, keeping his face as neutral as possible, although all of us knew he wanted to knock Terrafin over the head. "Kaos is-"

"HAHAHAHAHA!" a loud voice boomed, scaring me clean out of my skin and sending many Skylanders cursing. A giant floating head appeared out of the cloud, hologram blue and cowled with glowing white eyes. If it wasn't for the fact that everyone in Skylands knew that the hologram head didn't represent its creator in the slightest, I would have been terrified.

"WELL, WELL, WELL. IF IT ISN'T THE SKYLOSERS!" Kaos shouted, busting my eardrums in the process. "BEHOLD, IT IS I KAOS, YOUR NEW EMPEROR! LONG HAVE I WAITED FOR MY REVENGE! BOW DOWN BEFORE ME!" His rant continued on for several more seconds, none of which made a lot of sense, but all pointed to how awesome he was.

"When is he goin tae shut up?" I whispered to Cynder.

"Sometime between never and not gonna happen" she replied.

"Isn't he here tae attack us?"

"It's the pre-invasion ego boost. Happened last time too."

"Kaos!" Master Eon shouted, coming onto the balcony. With one clean motion, he slammed his staff into the ground. "You are not welcome here, nor in any place in Skylands. Your presence will not be tolerated. Leave now or we will force you back to the Outlands."

"THE OUTLANDS, HA! AFTER YOU BANISHED ME, I HAVE BECOME THE MOST POWERFUL PORTAL MASTER IN THE HISTORY OF PORTAL MASTERS. I WILL USE THE POWER OF THE DARKNESS TO CRUSH YOU AND YOUR PATHETIC TEAM, THEN THE CORE OF LIGHT, AND THEN SKYLANDS WILL BE MINE! HAHAHA!"

"I have told you before, Kaos, and I will tell you again. You and the Darkness have no power here," Master Eon stated, a grim expression on his face.

"OH, IS THAT SO? MINIONS!" With a flash, armies of drow, cyclopses, trolls, cyclopses, spell punks, and a whole bunch of other things I could not name flooded the main island.

"Skylanders! To battle!"

"For Skylands!" Spyro shouted.

And all hell broke loose.

Kaos' forces roared as they began their assault, rushing the island from all sides. The Skylanders charged, screaming their battle cries in response. Anyone that could fly took off and attacked the invading army from above, while those with something even resembling a ranged attack picked off our enemies from afar. The rest of us handled things up close and personal.

"Ice tae meet 'cha!" I shouted, slamming a blade into a cyclopses' stomach. Turning, I froze a few trolls with my ice blasts and threw both my knives at a goliath drow. Casting a large sheet of ice on the ground, I skated into the thick of the battle, spinning and slashing anything that got in my way.

"Heads up! Twists of fury!" Whirlwind shouted before sending a large gust of wind over my head. It tore through the ranks of soldiers, flinging them to who knows where. She blasted me with a rainbow, healing some of the minor cuts on my arms and legs, before flying off to another part of the battlefield.

"Silent but deadly!" I heard a familiar voice cry before several cyclopses fell with injuries all over their bodies. Stealth Elf appeared next to me, looking as calm and unfazed as usual. Whisper Elf was at her heels, positively buzzing with energy.

"You getting tired?" she teasingly asked.

"Just warmin up," I replied. The three of us lashed into the enemies around us, fighting back to back as we made mincemeat of anyone crazy enough to get within reach of our blades. Slash, throw, blast, kick. We left pile after pile of bodies in our wake. And then we were separated. Stealth Elf went one way, Whisper another, and me in still another direction. None of us registered we were apart until it was too late and too dangerous to find each other in the midst of battle

"It's feeding time!" Terrafin yelled as he popped out of the ground, giving the trolls around him the ol' one two before diving back into the dirt. Slam Bam wasn't too far behind, picking up the smaller cyclopses and flinging them across the battlefield. He spotted me and gave me a wide grin.

"Hey little sis, need a lift?" he asked, punching the lights out of a drow spearman.

"Sure," I replied. I charged him full speed, jumped, and landed on one of his giant hands. With a grunt, he launched me up and over the battlefield. Gathering my magic, I blasted some trolls before landing on Cynder's back.

"Volts and lightning!" she shrieked, swooping down to the battlefield. Hissing, she let loose her purple lighting as she neared the ground, frying several trogs to a crisp. I jumped off her back, skating back into the frenzy. Dropping down, I dodged a drow witch attack and kept low to the ground as flaming arrows and skulls from our side of the battle answered. Trigger Happy raced past me, laughing hysterically while shooting off his golden guns.

Elder Elementals, when is this going to end? We had the advantage of skill, but Kaos has the advantage of sheer numbers. He can't keep throwing his armies at us haphazardly forever, can he?

And then they vanished. Not like, we managed to defeat them all, but the entire army just straight up vanished.

Then the sky got really, really dark.

Everyone looked up.

Several people screamed.

Above us was the largest, oldest, most terrifying servant of the Darkness Skylands had seen since Nefarion ruled Skylands unquestioned during Skyland's dark ages: a four headed, full grown, green hydra.

And it was charging a blast that was aimed right at the Core of Light.

"No!" Master Eon cried.

"Stop it!" Spyro shouted.

But it was too late.

The hydra let it loose with a roar that echoed across Skylands. It sizzled through the air and struck the Core of Light with such force that it instantly cracked the protective outer shell. The mechanics inside didn't stand a chance. They were instantly vaporized, releasing pure elemental energy the likes which hadn't been seen in centuries.

In other words, it exploded.

We should've died. It's as simple as that; we should have died. You can go on all day about magic, the way the elements work, our universe in general, and all that good stuff, but at the end of the day, we shouldn't have survived that blast.

But we did.

And instead of dying, we were flung out of Skylands.

"What's going on?!" Whirlwind shouted as we hurtled head over heels through space and time.

"We're shrinking!" Zook cried. He was right. As I scanned my teammates, all of us slowly were getting shorter and shorter, reaching the height of action figures in a manner of minutes.

"I can't move my tail!" Camo shrieked.

"My fingers!"

"I can't feel my feet!"

"Nothing's responding!"

"MY SPELLS AREN'T WORKING!" Double Trouble shouted. Pretty much everyone started panicking after that announcement.

"Everyone!" Spyro yelled. "Use anything at your disposal to keep us together! We can't be separated!" I reached as far into myself as I could and released all the magic that I could find into a growing collective pool. With a wave and a chant, anyone who knew even a shred of spell craft combined their efforts to weave a massive spell, connecting us and binding us to each other in a web of energy.

It would be the last spell any of us would be able to perform for a long while.

Being frozen is something that is impossible to describe. It's a slow, agonizing process that doesn't exactly hurt, but still tears you apart anyways. Fingers and toes went first, then the rest of the limbs, then the torso, and finally the head and eyes, and all you could do was watch as your friends slowly became reduced to small, immobile figurines. It wasn't equally distributed either. Some people were completely frozen before others lost motion in their arms. All the while, though, people were crying out, desperately trying to access their powers, trying to move, or in some cases, trying to cry real tears. The only grace is that we didn't loose our voices. We were still able to talk to each other, although it didn't always bring comfort.

Ever wonder why most of us look like we're about ready to fight? We all figured that if we were going to be frozen as statutes for the rest of our lives, we might as well look intimidating. Those of us that could drew weapons, put on our most menacing face, and waited for the inevitable, making sure to keep our eyes open to make sure we could still see. All of us, except Flameslinger. He refused to take off his blindfold. To this day, no one knows if he could see at all during that time.

I don't really want to talk about my own experience in too much detail. It's still a painful memory to bring up.

After what seemed like a lifetime, small little platforms materialized under our feet that matched out elements: flames for fire, waves for water, plants for life, dirt for earth, clouds for air, skulls for the undead, gears for tech, and a bronze pedestal for magic. With a flash, we were spit out near a large blue planet with large swaths of land. As we neared it, we started to increase in speed, flames developing around our small, diminutive bodies.

"We're gonna crash!" Wrecking Ball cried.

"We're done for!" Prism Break shouted.

"I don't wanna die!" Gill Runt screamed.

"Stay strong, Skylanders!" Spyro shouted as the ground got ever closer. "The spell can't hold on much longer. It'll probably break before we hit the ground. Whatever happens, I'm proud to have worked with such brave individuals."

"Anything anyone wants to get off their chests, you better say it now!" Cynder shouted.

"I miss my mommy!"

"I've been stealing the sodas out of the fridge."

"I only hate half of you."

"I've a crush on you, Whirlwind, since the day I've met you!"

"I've been using sheep in the stew."

"YOU'VE BEEN WHAT!?"

"It's breaking!" Zap shouted as a sizzling noise filled the air. With a loud snap, the web broke and we were flung apart, everyone screaming out their final goodbyes.

"See ye sometime!" I shouted, bracing myself for what still had to come. Trees came into my line of sight. Even across the universe, I still found myself among nature as everything else was falling to pieces. Not a bad place to go out.

I hit the ground. There was a crash, flying dirt, and a moment of intense, soul numbing pain.

Then darkness.

* * *

So...that ended up being a lot darker than intended. I tried to mix what actually happened in game with the trailer (because in my opinion, the trailer makes more sense for a battle scene).

As for the lines where there's no person specified, use your imagination.

Hopefully things will start to make sense in the next chapter.

Please review :)


	7. Chapter 6

Hey everyone. So, yeah, I left you all with a cliffhanger. Yes, I'm evil. And this chapter is super confusing.

I don't own Skylanders.

Have fun :)

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

~Icicle

Everything was dark. I couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't feel. Disembodied isn't even the right word. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. No elements, no people, no thoughts, nothing. I wasn't scared, I wasn't sad, I wasn't angry. I just was. It was just me and the darkness, the blissful, quiet darkness, for sometime between an eternity and forever.

And then gravity kicked in. Don't ask me how or why, but the next thing I knew, I was flat on my back. I wasn't sure what I was laying on but it was cushy and sort of soft. Using the small amount of pressure on my back as a focus point, I latched onto the first thought that came into my head: cherry limeade. Strange as it was, it was probably the best thing for me to be thinking at the time. With it brought memories of those few summers I had spent in the Elven Woods, sipping the sour drink with my cousins and playing endless games of hide and seek. As the sky grew dark, my aunts and uncles would call us in for a quick meal and then we would go catch fireflies under the stars. I hadn't thought about those times in years.

I hadn't thought about my family in general in a long time.

My family is...very large. My father's only sibling, my uncle Bergad, for some reason had twelve children. The oldest was approaching twenty-seven while the youngest, and the one I had always been closest with, was a few months older than me. Her name is Avril and last I heard, she was doing fairly well in the king's army, although sick of being considered the baby of the family. My mother, on the other hand, is one of five, so I've got close to fifteen cousins on her side. Being the only kid without siblings in my family is more than a little strange. I had always wondered what it would be like to have an older sister or a baby brother.

I haven't written home in a while. My parents are probably worried sick. I did promise to write home every week. I guess I've just been so busy with Skylander business that-

A flood of memories overtook my head. Kaos' invasion, the battle, the explosion, being hurled through space and crashing. I bolted upright, shaking out the cobwebs. What am I doing? My friends are scattered across who knows where and I'm here thinking about cherry limeade and random cousins I haven't seen in years. I'm alive and I'm conscious...sort of. I think this either a lucid dream or I'm actually in my head. Either way, I can control my thoughts, which is a major improvement to a few moments ago. I have to do something.

Okay...I can't move, I have absolutely no power, I have no idea where I am, and I'm not even completely awake.

Not a lot of options to choose from other than wait for morning.

Wait...it's a long shot but...

I got to my feet, looking around the landscape that appears to be my mind. It was darker than a midnight blizzard on the winter solstice. You know, in a lot of literature, people can do amazing things in their heads. Make light appear out of nowhere, fly, do things they can't do in real life, but in reality, that takes training. There are plenty of sorcerers and sorceresses who have so much control over their minds they can literally make something with just a thought both inside their minds and in real life. I, however, do not have such training, so, I was stuck with the lights off.

"Hello?" I asked my subconscious. "Person who spoke tae me last time and gave me that intense amount of energy? I really, really need that now." A small pin-prick of light appeared to the left of me, far from where I stood. I ran in the direction of the glowing orb, craving something other than inky, never ending blackness. The surface below me caved a little as I ran, a little like I was running on a thick bed of moss.

" _Are you certain?_ " the voice asked. I stopped. It definitely sounded female, but hearing again, I was able to make out two very different people speaking. One had a lighter, softer tone, while the other was deeper and inquisitive, but they blended seamlessly. " _The power you speak of has lain dormant in your body since the moment you were born. Should you fully accept it, you will never be able to go back. Think carefully before you respond._ " I swallowed.

Oh...right...forgot that I'm asking voices in my head for a foreign power that seems to be very destructive.

What are the chances that this will end up being a horrible idea?

...

Yeah, that's what I thought.

It's crazy. It's suicidal. It's irrational. It's mental. It's just plain bonkers. That's how demons and the Darkness get control of you; they go in, whisper promises of power and poof! You've just sold your soul for the rest of eternity. This is probably the worst idea in the history of worst ideas. Then again...since when do evil powerhouses warn you to think carefully before anything? They're manipulative and prefer when you make spontaneous decisions, not well thought out ones. Go with instinct and not with reason. My instincts say that I desperately need it but reason says that there's probably a catch. There's always a catch. The universe must remain in balance.

No, it's still too risky. I'll just say no and find another way to get conscious, moving, and locate my friends.

...

Eh, souls are overrated anyways.

"Aye, I'm sure," I said, knowing I was sealing my fate. "There's too much at stake for me not too."

" _Very well then, Icicle Icela, once called Pixie,_ " they responded. Like the sun rising after a long night, the world around me brightened like the rising dawn. Turns out, my subconscious looks a lot like a forest. Spindly trees stretched as far as the eye could see, some covered in snow, some bearing leaves, and some simply bare. I touched one, startled by how smooth the bark was and how hard the mind-wood was. It was a sheer miracle I hadn't run into one while running. Then again, my head probably wants to preserve its sanity. The ground beneath me was indeed made of moss.

As my eyes adjusted to the daylight, two women came into my vision, slowly walking in my direction. They were as different as day and night, one with skin paler than snow, the other with skin darker than onyx. Since I didn't know their names, I decided to call them Day and Night for the time being. Day had hair the color of ripe wheat and wore a pure white dress with golden pants and boots underneath. Night paralleled her companion exactly, having hair so dark it was almost blue and wearing a dark blue dress of the same style with black pants and boots.

Their most striking feature, however, were their wings. Large and shaped like the wings of a butterfly, they fluttered behind the women, Day's a shining gold, Night's a shadowed black. They didn't look anything like fairies, they were too tall and had legs for one, but I didn't know what else to consider them. Either way, they simply radiated power, ancient, archaic power. They finally stopped in front of me, regarding me placidly.

"Who...who are ye?" I asked.

"I am Lumina," Day responded.

"And I am Atra," Night added. "That is all you need to know of us for now."

"You have chosen a difficult path, Icicle," Lumina said. "Still, I suppose it is your inheritance and your right to use it."

"I am afraid we cannot offer you much assistance once you accept the power," Atra said. "However, we ask that you use it wisely and for the correct reasons. Can you promise us this?"

"Aye," I said, nodding my head. "I promise."

" _Then let us begin,_ " they said together. A ball of golden light appeared in Lumina's hand while shadows swirled in Atra's. As the two women summoned more and more power, a sphere of cream colored energy appeared in front of me. It was maybe the size of a cantaloupe and was mottled with small specks of color, currents of fractured light swirling under the surface. It was the most beautiful thing I had seen in my life and I knew that it was mine and had always been mine. It was also terrifying to see something so powerful as my own. Holding my hands out, I took the sphere in my hands, closing my eyes as warm energy coursed through my veins.

" _Luck go with you...Gatekeeper._ "

And I fell on my ass.

I'm not kidding. One second, I was deep within my subconscious accepting the magical equivalent of an atom bomb and the second, I was on my butt, my knife falling out of my hand and clattering to the ground next to me.

"Great, just great," I mumbled, kicking a rock in frustration. I picked up my knife and fastened it to my belt, grumbling under my breath.

Wait...kick? Pick up? Fasten?

 _Holy-freaking-shit-I-can-move!_

I leaped to my feet, looking myself over. I didn't look any different than usual and I had a feeling I was still minuscule, but _I was moving!_ Never again will I take for granted the ability to walk, twitch my arm, or, heck, take a full breath of air. I can run! I can jump! I can scratch my nose! Hey, _you_ try being flung across the universe without being able to scratch an itchy nose and then you can call me crazy.

Okay, now that the overly jubilant celebration is taken care of, down to business. Lumina and Atra called me a Gatekeeper, whatever that means. I've never heard of the term before, at least not in the context of magical abilities or occupations. Atra said they wouldn't be able to help me too much after I took the power, so I can rule out help in that department. Well, a gatekeeper implies that I'm either protecting or controlling access to something...which doesn't help me in the slightest. I need to find my friends, not guard a gate.

It's one thing to be alone. Normally, I don't mind being being by myself with a book and my thoughts. It's a different thing entirely to be alone, completely stumped, and needing to locate your friends. Where to even begin? Spyro would probably know what to do, or at least know where to start. He's good at dealing with impossible situations. I'm way out of my element here and even a little bit of help sounds absolutely wonderful. I just wish I knew where he was.

Suddenly, a map popped up in front of my vision, sort of like a video game mini-map. It was outlined in white and only showed rough outlines of what appeared to be trees and rocks, but it was passable considering my situation. There were two small dots, one white and blinking, the other green. I'm going to go out on a limb and say the white one is me, the green one is...hopefully Spyro, or if not, at least someone friendly. Green means friendly, right?

Okay, that's new and extremely helpful. Seriously, this is perfect. If I use this correctly, I might be able to find all the Skylanders. One step at a time though. My map at the ready, I climbed out of the crater, pulling myself up one body length at a time. I willed myself to not look down and focused on trying to find handholds. For once, I was extremely grateful for the fact that the mission room could only be accessed by climbing up a rope.

Emerging into the forest I had seen from the sky, I just about fell back into the crater in shock. The trees. Were. Huge. Actually, everything was huge. The flowers looked large enough to be umbrellas and the mushrooms could make adequate shelters if needed. I thought Treetop Terrace had large foliage. Try being only a few inches tall in a forest of normal sized trees. It's terrifying. And cool. But mostly terrifying. They're not even trees I can easily climb.

Get it together girl...

Taking a deep breath, I made my way through the giant grass, first walking at a brisk pace before breaking into a quick jog. Without my normal powers, I was stuck at running pace. At least my ice skates seemed to have disappeared along with the platform thing or I would be really screwed. I passed by several ants and a few flies as I ran. After being shrunk, they didn't seem so small anymore. Nothing felt small anymore, except for me.

And I thought I was short before.

I followed my extremely rough map as I ran through the forest, passing by trees and bushes until I found a trail that lead roughly in the correct direction. It was heavily worn, hammered down by years of footsteps, but perfect for me. I followed the road for what seemed like hours before turning and heading deeper into the forest when I got closer to the green dot. When I was almost on top of it, the map disappeared from my vision. Confused, I continued in the same direction, hoping that I'd find someone who could help me and not a really elaborate trap.

Not thirty seconds later, I found Spyro. And someone else.

Spyro was still frozen, looking as fierce as he did in real life, if quite a bit smaller. He was currently in the hand of a giant. Now, the person holding Spyro didn't look very old, a boy maybe thirteen at the oldest, but at my height, he seemed to be as tall as one of the mythical Elder Elementals. He was wearing blue jeans, a grey hoodie over an aqua colored shirt, and a worn pair of sneakers. A grey beanie covered his dark brown hair that seemed to be pulled back in a small ponytail. Around his neck was a music note pendant on a silver chain and a backpack was slung over one shoulder. His skin was a healthy tan and his eyes reminded me of the leather used to bind books. Using said eyes, the boy regarded Spyro curiously.

"What in the world are you?" he asked, turning the figurine in several different directions. He looked at Spyro thoughtfully before sitting on the ground, carefully placing him on a stump. Shrugging off his backpack, he unzipped one of the pockets and took out a sketchbook and pencil. Opening it to a fresh page, he started drawing my friend.

Hm...this could be either extremely problematic or very promising. I don't think I'll be able to get Spyro from him unnoticed. I'm just not stealthy enough for a job like that. However, the boy doesn't seem to be hostile and he looks to be the curious type. Maybe he'll be willing to help me...or he'll freak and squish me.

You know, considering I've just survived an island leveling explosion, a trip through time and space, and two weird women in my head, the idea that I'm worried about the possibility of being squished just sounds absolutely stupid.

I slowly made my way towards them, taking cautious steps while trying to keep as quiet as possible. I probably shouldn't have worried; the flapping of bird wings was honestly louder than when I accidentally burped. The boy kept on drawing, looking up at Spyro every so often to check details or re-align him. When I found myself at the base of the stump, I looked up at the boy, took a deep breath, and shouted.

"Excuse me!" The boy's face molded into an expression of confusion before looking around. "Down here!" His eyes travelled downward, scanning the ground around the stump. I could tell the second he spotted me because his eyes went as wide as serving platters and blinked several times in a matter of seconds. He hurriedly set down his sketchbook and rubbed his eyes multiple times. I waved and put on the friendliest smile I could muster while trying to suppress feelings of certain doom.

Question, did accepting the power of a Gatekeeper make me stupider or am I really just that desperate?

"Um...hullo," I shouted. "I believe ye have ma friend so if ye'd be so kind as tae-"

"I can't hear you very well," he said, somehow shaking off the shock. "Here." He carefully laid his hand out, palm up, in front of me. I took a tentative step onto his hand, then another, until I was in the center of his hand. With a deliberate slowness, he lifted me up until we were somewhat at eye level. The boy looked at me with the same curiosity as Spyro but I could see his eyes sparkling with astonishment.

"Thank ye very much," I said.

"Are you Scottish?" he sputtered in disbelief.

"I don't know about Scottish, but I'm half-frost elf," I replied, scratching the back of my head. "Though, I'm not sure if that means anythin tae ye."

"You're an elf," he stated.

"Aye," I replied. I could see the wheels turning behind his eyes as he tried to process my words. From his reaction, I was able to figure out two things. One, elves were either extremely rare or nonexistent on this planet. Two, this boy was obviously trying to wrap his head around a concept that shouldn't exist, namely me.

"With a Scottish accent," he slowly added.

"Fer yer information, I have a frost elf accent."

"Right. And you're half-frost elf. What's the other half?"

"Wood elf," I replied. The boy blinked a few times. Oh, right, classifications don't help in this situation. "That probably means nothin tae ye either."

"Well, now I know that there are at least two different kinds of elves and you happen to be both," he said with a slight smile. "If I give you my name, you're not going to use it to, like, posses me or something, right?"

"Did it sound stupid in yer head?" I asked. The boy chuckled a little.

"Yeah. I'm Jeremy," he said, holding out the pointer finger on his left hand.

"I'm Icicle. Ice tae meet 'cha," I replied, shaking it with both of my hands. We looked at each other and simultaneously laughed, realizing just how stupid this probably looked.

"Ice to meet 'cha too," he replied. My mouth almost dropped to my chest. Someone actually said my saying back to me word for word. That absolutely never happens. People usually substitute 'nice' for ice and 'you' for 'cha. While that makes sense, it's always been a secret wish of mine to have someone say it back to me. Instant respect for this guy.

"This is crazy," Jeremy said, shaking his head. "This is absolutely insane."

"Where exactly are we?" I asked, remembering that I had a mission to fulfill and I was really just stalling at this point. Getting my bearings, even if they're rough bearings, is better than having no bearings. And I just massively overused the use of the word bearings

"Northern Wisconsin," he replied. Cue blank stare. Okay, I'll admit, that one was on me. I should have been more specific.

"What planet is this?" I clarified. Jeremy looked at me like I was an idiot, then looked to a hole in the ground that looked a lot like a crater. He put two and two together pretty quickly.

"You're an alien? Like, from another planet?"

"Well, when ye put it that way, I guess ye could say we're aliens."

"We?"

"That dragon down there? He's ma friend," I said, pointing towards Spyro. "We're from a world called Skylands. Really lon story short, we got shot here by someone who's a complete idiot and now we're stranded here. What planet is this?"

"Uh...Earth," he replied, looking rather flabbergasted. Earth. Now that's a familiar name. A really, really long time ago, our two worlds were connected through a very complex set of portals. They were closed off after the rest of humanity deemed us demon spawn but no hard feelings. That's how humans got to Skylands and how the Loch Ness monster, unicorns, and yetis got in Earth's legends. I though Jeremy looked human, although, to be fair, Master Eon was one of three humans I had actually met.

Master Eon. Elder Elementals, he wasn't with us when we were blasted away. But if he's not here then...oh no. Please...he can't be. He's the last good Portal Master in Skylands. If he dies without an heir then...I don't even want to think about how bad that would be for everyone in Skylands. Without a Portal Master, we don't have a collective leader, we don't have an international peacekeeper, we don't have someone to hold back the forces of Darkness. It's even worse for the Skylanders. Without a Portal Master, without Master Eon, we can't use the portals and we can't ask him to open up one for us. We don't have a way to get home.

That hit really hard. Now it's even more important that I find the rest of the Skylanders.

"Jeremy," I said, "...I really need yer help. The rest of ma friends and cohorts are somewhere around here. I know how tae find 'em but look at me. I'm tiny. I need some help findin transportation and somethin tae carry 'em in."

"There are more of you?" he asked, his eyes widening.

"Thirty-seven countin me and Spyro," I confirmed.

"Spyro?"

"He's the dragon."

"...you're not invading the planet, right?"

"I've gone from someone who can possess ye with yer name to an alien invader. That's an improvement," I said. "As far as I know, the rest of ma friends are like Spyro, frozen intae action figures. So, unless ye consider immobile objects threatenin, nah."

"Then let's go find them," he said, placing his sketchbook and pencil into his bag while simultaneously keeping the hand I was on steady. Now it was my turn to be flabbergasted. That's a quick change of heart if I ever saw one.

"Just like that?" I asked. "Yer willin tae help me?"

"Well, it's not every day an elf from another planet asks you to help them. Plus, if I actually am crazy, the story for the psychiatrist will be a lot better if I go through with this," he replied with a grin. "Should I put Spyro in my bag?"

"Aye," I replied, looking at the purple dragon more intently. He must still be unconscious or he would have said something by now. That's just the kind of person he is. After an impact like that, probably all of the Skylanders had experienced some form of unconsciousness. Either way, we needed to hurry.

"Alright," Jeremy said, skillfully closing his bag with one hand. "So, shoulder?"

"Works fer me," I replied. He lifted me up and I hopped onto his left shoulder, grabbing onto his beanie for balance. Time to get to work. I thought about Stealth Elf, Whisper Elf, Hex, Flameslinger, Slam Bam, Cynder, Whirlwind, Gill Grunt, and all my fellow Skylanders. We had been through everything together, even being hurled through space and time and crashing on a planet in another universe, and more than ever, we needed each other.

I want to know where all the Skylanders are.

The map appeared in front of my eyes, but instead of one green dot, there were thirty-five, my powers somehow compensating for finding Spyro. They were scattered all over the map, some clustered close together while the vast majority were flung out in the middle of nowhere. It was a lot more detailed too, the rough outlines replaced with a few landmarks and other markings. I guess everything gets stronger with use. The closest two dots didn't seem that far away and I had a suspicion I knew who they were.

"Head straight," I said. Jeremy complied, walking at a casual pace through the forest. All the while, he was asking questions about literally everything. The curiosity in this boy knew no bounds.

It went a little something like this:

"So, you guys are from a place called Skylands?"

"Aye."

"Where's that?"

"In relation tae here? No idea."

"What's it like?"

"Picture floatin islands in the sky. Now picture 'em everywhere and of all climates and landscapes and there's no actual bottom no matter how far down ye go. That's Skylands in a nutshell."

"How do the islands float?"

"Magic."

"Magic?"

"Ye don't have magic on Earth?"

"Only in story books. Can you use magic?"

"I can use the water element if that's what yer tryin tae say."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"Not even close. Magic is a separate element. We sometimes call other elemental castins magic but it's not really accurate."

"How many elements are there?"

"At least eight. Probably more."

"What are they?"

"Fire, life, water, air, earth, magic, tech, and undead."

"Undead? Tech? Life? How are those elements?"

"I'm not exactly the right person to explain that tae ye, but some of the other Skylanders might be able tae help."

"Skylanders?"

"That's what me and ma friends are."

"What do you guys do?"

Thankfully, we came upon the crater before I had to launch into literally the entirety of Skylands' history. It was surrounded by a patch of trees, broken branches slightly covering the hole. Jeremy ran over to it, pushing them out of the way. He peered down into the crater, his eyes widening further as he attempted to register the sight below. I, on the other hand, was about ready to jump for joy, Inside the crater were two small figurines, one of a blue Gillman and one of an orange gremlin.

"Hey Trigg," Gill Grunt said. "Look at who found us."

"That's one tall human," Trigger Happy said with a slight laugh. "Hey, what are you doing!?" Jeremy scooped them up, bringing them up to my level.

"Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy!" I called, waving my hands.

"Icicle!" Gill Grunt exclaimed. "You doing okay?"

"Aye, Gill," I replied.

"How come you can move?" Trigger Happy asked.

"It's a lon story but I found help," I replied. "This is Jeremy. Spyro's in his backpack. We're lookin fer the others."

"What are you waiting for?" Gill Grunt asked Jeremy. "Throw us in and let's get a' moving. Make sure to keep it open though." With hurried motions, Jeremy placed Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy into his back, opening it just enough to let their voices through clearly. He seemed a little rattled but mostly elated, like he had just found a new game that was difficult and a little strange but really cool at the same time. I was very glad he had been the one to find Spyro. There was just something...special about him.

I wonder...could he be...?

"Okay, Icicle, where to next?"

* * *

Like I said, confusing. Hopefully the next chapter will clear some of this up.\

And yes, I like OCs.

Please review :)


	8. Chapter 7

Hey guys!

So, remember when I said the last chapter was confusing? Yeah, that has nothing on this one. Now, just to make this clear, this chapter is not in my normal writing style, which you will understand as you read.

And I apologize for the language in the last chapter.

I don't own Skylanders and enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

~Icicle

"So, let me see if I've got this right," Jeremy said. He was sitting on a rock, staring into the open backpack of Skylanders. I was sitting next to him, my legs dangling off into space. "You guys are from Skylands-"

"Most of us," Dino-Rang chimed in.

"-your organization, the Skylanders, has been defending your world for centuries-"

"Millennia," Hex corrected.

"-from the Darkness and one their wielders, a guy named Kaos, destroyed the Core of Light-"

"Which kept the Darkness from corrupting Skylands," Whirlwind threw in.

"Stop interrupting him!" Whisper Elf cried. "It's rude!"

"-which you guys had been protecting and since it blew up, you were blasted across the universe and possibly through dimensions, shrinking and becoming immobile plastic figures until you crashed into Earth," he finished. "Did I forget anything?"

"Master Eon," Voodood grunted.

"He is a Portal Master," Jeremy said without skipping a beat. "One of the few people born with the ability to operate and create portals across Skylands. He is one of the most powerful people in Skylands and is your leader, as Portal Masters have traditionally done over the centuries."

"Exactly correct," Drobot said. "You have a better understanding of our homeland than most of its inhabitants."

"I told you he was a Portal Master!" Terrafin exclaimed.

"Just because he's smart doesn't make him one, Terrafin," Sunburn reminded. "I mean, look at Kaos. The guy has the intelligence level of a slug."

"That's insulting to slugs," Eruptor snorted.

"Jeremy's a Portal Master," Stealth Elf firmly said. "There's no way he's not."

"Gonna have to agree," Gill Grunt said. "If he's not one, then my name's not Gillius H. Grunt."

"Icicle, please find a way to convince them I'm not a Portal Master," he pleaded. I suppressed a giggle. He had brought this upon himself. Between my map and Jeremy's mobility, we were able to locate the Skylanders with relative ease. Some were several feet underground, a couple were in the trees, and more than a few had landed in the lake. Zap and Wham Shell were okay with being underwater, but Cynder and Bash were not in the best mood when we fished them out. In less than two hours, we had found everyone. Sure, some were still unconscious when we found them, and then woke up in the bag a few minutes later, but at least we were together.

Anyways, as we found more and more of my teammates, Jeremy asked more and more questions. He wanted to know about everything, even what we considered the boring parts of our world. Everything seemed to spike his interest. Magic, travel, elements, food, nothing was too ordinary or too complex for him to handle. The Skylanders were more than willing to provide him with knowledge about our home world, but as he got deeper into our lore and history, the more convinced they became that Jeremy was a Portal Master. I mean, there is no way to tell. There is literally no way to tell unless you put them in front of a portal and they do something to it. Not to brag, but Skylanders are pretty good judges of character. And notorious teasers.

So, yeah, we were all giving him a hard time. It was cruel. But a little funny.

"Sorry, Jeremy. Once ye get an idea intae their heads, there's no way tae get it out," I replied. "Besides, it's more fun tae just roll with it. And it could be true."

"I'm not a Portal Master!" he exclaimed. "I'm not even from your world and I didn't know that magic existed until two hours ago!"

"'Neither royal blood nor a sea of gold can make anyone a Portal Master. Either they are lucky enough to be born with the power to wield a Portal or they are not,'" Warnado recalled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jeremy asked, frowning at the backpack.

"It means you don't have to be from Skylands," Flameslinger said. "You just have to have ze power."

"Don't take it to heart, Jeremy," Sonic Boom reassured with her motherly tone. "They're just teasing you." I felt really bad for her and her babies. Her eggs had been frozen along with her and they hadn't been able to hatch for who knows how long. They were trapped, stuck inside their little prisons and unable to move or call out to their mommy. How horrible that must have been for her, knowing that there was nothing she could do to help her children.

"You have admit though," Cynder said. "The fact you were the one to find us cannot be a coincidence."

"With ma help," I pointed out.

"With your help," Cynder agreed. "How did you find us anyways? And how can you move?" And so the question is asked. What should I do? If I tell them what I am, I either get help in finding out what I am, blank stares, or shrieks of horror. Probably a combination of all three, in reality. If I don't tell them, the exact same thing will happen at a later date and until then, my friends will regard me with deep suspicion. One way or another way, they're gonna find out eventually.

Might as well go with it. I mean, what's the worst that can happen?

"Well...I think I'm somethin called a Gatekeeper."

Trying to explain what happened next is a little like trying to explain what being caught in a stampede feels like. Lots and lots of sound is being thrown at you and you have absolutely no idea what's going on except for a feeling of impending doom and death. After it passes, you're pancake flat and extremely discombobulated. That's kind of what happened, minus the pancake part. When my ears finally started functioning again, the curse of having elven hearing, I was flooded by questions.

"You're a Gatekeeper?" Prism Break asked.

"How!?" Ignitor demanded.

"How long have you known?" Wrecking Ball inquired.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Zook asked.

"Ooh, is that how you found us? Do you have some sort of map or locater device in your head?" Zap excitedly wondered.

"What are Gatekeepers?" Terrabite piped up.

"I'm going to be honest, I have no idea what's going on right now," Jeremy said, scratching the back of his head as just under three dozen voices hurled questions our way. "And I thought I was confused before." In hindsight, I'm not sure how I didn't see that this whole situation would be problematic. There were thirty-three Skylanders, including myself, four Sidekicks, and Jeremy. That's thirty-eight people occupying the same general space and every one of us was extremely bewildered, baffled, perplexed and perturbed for several different reasons.

So. Many. People. Talking.

I just wanna go home...

"Wha..." someone asked in a delirious voice. "What in Skylands...Gill, why is your harpoon my face?" It was a voice that was commanding even when confused, powerful despite trouble, and fearless in any situation. It was a voice that needed to be heard in this time of hardship. It was a voice of the person who could organize us into the lean, mean, fighting machine that the Skylanders are known for being. It was also the last unconscious one among us.

"SPYRO!" everyone roared, making my ears ring even more.

"Thank the heavens!" Double Trouble exclaimed.

"Problems, get ready to be solved, because our leader is back among the conscious!" Boomer yelled.

"How are you feeling, Sleeping Beauty?" Trigger Happy laughed.

"QUIET!" We all fell silent. "Where are we? Is everyone accounted for? What's going on?" he demanded in his no-nonsense leadership voice. See, one thing all Skylanders know is that interrupting Spyro's sleep is...extremely dangerous and potentially fatal. Rule of thumb: do not talk with Spyro until he's had a half a hour to himself and a cup of coffee. Since we had neither, we were dealing with a very irritable and very confused leader.

"Well, for starters, we're on Earth," Gill Grunt said.

"Everyone's here," Stealth Elf continued.

"A kid named Jeremy found us and we're in his backpack," Whirlwind continued.

"We're pretty sure he's a Portal Master," Trigger Happy added.

"I am not!" Jeremy shouted.

"And Icicle is a Gatekeeper," Terrafin finished.

"Just when I thought this couldn't get any weirder," he mumbled.

"What are Gatekeepers!?" Terrabite shouted. The kid has a fair point. I don't even know what I am and I want to figure out what I am as soon as possible to see if I've got something else that can potentially help us get home or explain what in the world is going on. At this point, I would honestly accept the fact that I am now the devil incarnate if it would just get me some answers.

"Hex, would you do the honors?" Spyro asked. "You probably have the most knowledge on them, being a sorceress and all."

"Witch," Ignitor coughed.

"I do not know a great deal about them," Hex said, ignoring the comment, "But I will try to explain. Gatekeepers have been around as long as Portal Masters, but their numbers make Portal Masters appear commonplace. They have a strong bond with Portal Masters and they have certain abilities that mutually benefit the two of them, such as the ability to find specific people, places, items, and portals."

Well, I already knew about the people portion of my powers. I guess it makes sense it applies to other things as well, since the map showed outlines of trees and other obstacles. I knew those couldn't be the only abilities but it's at least good to know I'm not possessed or something. That takes a very large weight off my chest. Wait, if my power includes being able to find portals then...

"Drobot, chances that a portal is currently on this planet," Spyro demanded, having come to the same conclusion.

"Inconclusive, but there is always a chance," he replied.

"I'll take it," he said. "Icicle, do whatever it is you do. And to Jeremy, let's get moving." He paused. "Please."

* * *

~Jeremy

Who am I to argue with a magical purple dragon from another universe? At least he said please.

I zipped up the backpack, making sure to leave an opening for their voices to filter through. Then again, their collective shouting voices could probably be heard through the fabric anyways. Eh, keep the aliens happy. Swinging the bag onto my back, I stood up, making sure to pick Icicle up. She hoped onto my shoulder, her tiny hands grabbing onto my beanie and lightly brushing my neck. It kind of tickled.

"Did you get anything?" I asked her. Icicle had her eyes closed and she looked like she was really concentrating. I had no idea what she was doing, and to be honest I still wasn't sure what was going on. Although, if I actually had stopped to think about what was actually happening at that time, I would probably be in the loony bin right about now.

"I found somethin," she said uncertainly. "I'm not sure what it is but head down that path." Following her instructions, I walked deeper and deeper into the forest, much farther than I had ever gone by myself. Over hills, under bridges, across a few streams; it seemed random but Icicle hadn't lead me wrong yet. Every time she used her powers, it always led exactly where we needed to go. Then again, the span of our friendship stretches only a few hours.

Friendship...were we even really friends? I don't really know anything about her or any of the Skylanders and barely any more about their home world. Heck, I can't even keep all their names straight! Who gives their kid a name like Flameslinger anyways? All of this was weird. It was unnatural. It defied every law of science. But it was _cool_ and different and exciting and I had this burning desire to help them because they just looked...lost. I mean, only Icicle could really show any facial expression, but the way they sounded, the way they formed their words, they seemed as confused as me. Maybe even more so. I wasn't the one who had been blasted through space.

"There! There it is!" Icicle shouted. Coming back to reality, I saw what she was talking about. Inside a small crater was a stone circle, maybe five inches across, with a cream colored surface. It was swirled, spiraling into the center in loose circles. Strange symbols were carved into the stone, ones that I didn't recognize. It didn't seem to be doing much of anything.

"That's a portal?" I asked, bending down to the object. Up close, it looked a lot like it was made of plastic.

"It's a permanent one," Icicle replied. "It looks like it's from the Citadel. It must have gotten blasted here with us."

"That's your base of operations, right?"

"Aye," she said. "But it doesn't look like it's workin."

"That could be a problem," I said, picking up the portal. It was surprisingly light. As I turned it over, my finger brushed one of the symbols. A jolt ran through my body, starting at my fingertips and running down the length of my body until it escaped through my feet. The portal flashed, the surface and the symbols on the side lighting up in all the colors of the rainbow. Startled, I dropped it back into the crater. It bounced before coming to a rest, slowly changing colors and giving off a slight buzz.

Did _I_ do that?

"Still think yer not a Portal Master?" Icicle bemusedly asked.

"But...how?" I sputtered, staring at the glowing circle in disbelief.

"Does it matter? Ye activated the portal. By definition, yer now a Portal Master," Icicle said.

"But how do we know it works?" I asked, carefully picking up the portal again. It was lightly vibrating, almost as if it was alive. The glowing surface was slowly starting to swirl together, the colors condensing into little clusters. As I watched, it swirled faster and faster, more colors appearing before my eyes as a tiny whirlpool started to form. It was still changing colors but at a faster pace, morphing from one shade to the next in less than a second. The symbols on the side were now glowing in marbled hues of blue and purple.

"Ye'd have tae try and send one of us through," Icicle said, looking at the portal in awe. I quickly sat down, carefully setting the portal on the grass. Unzipping my backpack, I pulled the Skylanders out, placing them within eyesight of the glowing stone circle. Icicle slid down my arm, hopping onto the ground and walking over to the before, when there was a steady stream of mumbling from them, they were dead silent, presumably staring at the portal. Only when everyone was out of my bag did they start talking.

"It's beautiful," the littlest elf said.

"The kid really is a Portal Master," the dragon phoenix hybrid, Sunburn, breathed.

"We can go home," the little orange gremlin said. Not the one with Gill Grunt, the other one, the smaller one. Trigger Snappy, that was it.

"So, who wants to do the honors?" Spyro asked. There was a moment of silence.

"Spyro, you're the leader. Of course you're gonna go first," Gill Grunt said.

"Oh, well." He cleared his throat. "Jeremy." I picked up the small figurine, surprisingly heavy for such a small object, and placed it on the portal. There was a bright flash, the portal turning purple for a spilt second before the magical dragon vanished, pulled into the swirling vortex below his feet.

"Hit the shatterin sigil!" Gill Grunt shouted.

"The what?" I asked, still staring in shock at the portal. It had reverted back to softly glowing, slowly turning from one color to the next. Icicle ran around the stone figure, inspecting the symbols before pointing to one. It looked a little bit like a butterfly, with a small dot above a downward pointing triangle. Two claw like lines surrounded the centerpiece with two smaller marks beneath it. I turned the portal around so the symbol was facing me and pressed it.

A hologram projection shot out of the portal, displaying a scene around Spyro. He was standing on an island that was floating in midair, clouds displayed in the background. Little cottages and buildings were scattered on islands behind him. He was standing next to a creature covered in fur, wearing glasses and an oversized green raincoat.

"Spyro!" the creature shouted, going up to the purple dragon. "Oh, thank the portals, you're alright! We feared the worst."

"Hugo! Good to see a familiar face. Is Master Eon alright? How long have we been gone? Where are we? What's going on?" Spyro demanded.

"I'll explain everything later, but right now, we have an island to evacuate. There's a tornado coming and some of the villagers are trapped," Hugo said, pointing into the mass of islands. Spyro nodded once and took off, flying into the little town. Fighting against the winds, he dropped down and scooped up the villagers, placing them into hot air balloons that quickly floated off. In less than a ten minutes, he had evacuated everyone off the islands. Hugo hopped into a balloon with another being like him and they were off.

"So, you're Spyro," the pilot said. "Name's Flynn, the greatest pilot in all of Skylands."

"Nice to meet you," Spyro said, landing in the small basket. "Hugo, answers, now."

"Things are pretty bad, Spyro," Hugo said, adjusting his glasses. "In the two weeks you guys were gone, there have been freak storms, mass invasions, and pretty everything else you can think of under the sun. No one knows what to do and Kaos is growing in strength with every passing minute. Master Eon is okay...sort of. He'll explain when we get back to what's left of the Citadel."

"More like the Ruins now," Flynn said with a dry bit of humor as he steered the ship.

"What about you, Spyro?" Hugo asked. "What's been happening with you guys? Are all the Skylanders okay?"

"Yeah, we're all fine," Spyro said, smiling a little. "We found another Portal Master. His name's Jeremy and he's a kid from Earth. That's where the rest of us are, frozen into little statues. I'm pretty sure he's watching with the others right now. Oh, and we're pretty sure Icicle is a Gatekeeper."

"Two whole weeks," said elf spoke, looking up at the image with a slightly sick expression on her face.

"We've been gone for that long?" Wham Shell asked in disbelief.

"Skylands does not look good," Chop Chop said to murmurs of agreement. I looked past the balloon and at the scenery behind them. There were massive islands, small islands, clouds, airships, and many flying creatures in the background. It was beautiful and unreal and...a little off. Things were a little too shadowed, too tense. Something was very wrong.

"Ah, here we are," Flynn said, turning the balloon. Below the flying craft was a large island, covered in broken pillars, cracked walkways, and the skeletons of buildings. Debris was littered around the destroyed structures and there was a thin layer of dust covering everything. Trees were missing leaves and branches were heaped into something resembling a wood pile. Smaller islands surrounded the main one, the buildings looking in slightly better repair but often missing roofs or walls.

"Our home!" Whirlwind cried.

"The Citadel..." Stealth Elf said, her voice almost a whisper.

"It's completely destroyed," Slam Bam said.

The balloon touched down, landing in an open space. The three of them exited the aircraft, looking around the ruined structures. Spyro wore a grim expression on his face, his mouth set and body tense.

"Jeremy," he said. "Send the rest through." Picking up Gill Grunt, I repeated the process.

But nothing happened. No flash, no magic swirling, no disappearing, nothing. I looked at Icicle who looked as confused as I felt. Taking off the fish, I picked up the portal again, hoping it would do the same thing as before and start glowing brighter. Once again, nothing happened. I set the portal down, defeated. What was wrong? It worked before. Why wasn't it working now?

"Jeremy," Icicle said, pointing to another symbol. "Try this one." I touched it and my consciousness was sucked out of my body, hurling through the portal. The next thing I knew, I was next to Spyro, but I wasn't at the same time. It was sort of like I was a hologram, there, but not really there. I could see and hear everything as if I was really there, but I couldn't feel the wind on my skin or the ground beneath my feet. Hugo and Flynn jumped sky high at the sight of me and even Spyro flinched a little in surprise.

"Uh, hi," I said sheepishly, waving a little. "I'm Jeremy and for some reason, the portal's not cooperating. I tried sending Gill Grunt through, but it didn't work."

"Oh, well, hello Portal Master Jeremy," Hugo stammered, bowing a little. "Well, let me think...you're from Earth, right?"

"Uh, yeah," I said, not entirely sure where this was going.

"Well there you go," he said. "Earth doesn't have magic, so your natural stores of energy are extremely low. If you were here in Skylands, you'd have a much larger energy pool to draw from. You must have used your own stores up activating the portal and sending Spyro through, as well as Icicle's."

"Icicle's?"

"Mine?" she asked, utterly flabbergasted.

"Icicle, get over here," Hugo said, before turning back to me. "It'll be easier to explain if she's here. I can guarantee she will be able to go through." With a small pop, she appeared in Skylands, landing next to Hugo.

"That was the weirdest portal trip I've ever taken," she said, dusting herself off. "Okay, what in Skylands in goin on?"

"Well, as a Gatekeeper, you have the ability to find things that others can't," he began. "You also have a ton of dormant magic in your body which you generally can't use but the Portal Master you are bonded to can. It won't hurt you and it will automatically stop once that energy is depleted. It renews every sunrise. Yours will too, Jeremy. Since you two have bonded, he can use your dormant energy to cast spells."

"So, I'm a battery," Icicle deadpanned.

"Not exactly," a voice said. Looking up, I almost fell on my holographic butt. Above me was a floating head. It was definitely a guy with a Viking helmet and a long beard. I was just about ready to panic and retreat back to Earth when Spyro and Icicle grinned widely.

"Master Eon!" they shouted. The floating head laughed and gave us a warm smile.

"Spyro, Icicle, it is good to see you," he said before looking at me. "And it is very nice to meet you too, Jeremy."

"How...how do you..." I stammered, my mouth wide enough to catch birds.

"I know many things, young Portal Master," he said with a glint of humor in his eyes.

"Master Eon, what happened tae ye?" Icicle asked, her voice slightly trembling.

"I'm afraid that when the Core of Light exploded, I was pulled into my own portal," he said sadly. "I am now stuck between realms and can only appear as a spirt. Without my body, there is very little I can do." He looked at me and I swallowed, knowing what was going to come next. "Jeremy, I pass the responsibility as a Portal Master to you now."

"But...I don't really know what I'm doing," I said. "And you didn't exactly answer Icicle's question."

"Do not worry, Jeremy," he replied. "You will not be alone. And yes, you are correct. I have been very rude to our new Gatekeeper. Icicle, you are not a battery. You are in a mutual partnership. Your bond with Jeremy allows the both of you to grow much faster together than if you were alone. As his powers grow, so will yours.

Now, as for the time being, we must get to work repairing the Core of Light. Jeremy, since you sent Spyro and Icicle through, they will remain here permanently, unless you decide to recall them back to Earth. The other's, I'm afraid, will have to come at a later date. We will work more on this tomorrow, but for now, I think everyone should get some rest. It is getting late."

"Gill, you're in charge," Spyro said. With that, my hologram disappeared and I snapped back into my real body, my vision slightly blurry and my head spinning. Shaking my head clear, I looked up at the setting sun. Oh shoot. How long was I in there? It must almost be time for dinner. I took one last look at the image of Skylands, with Spyro and Icicle heading off to the ruined building, before touching the 'shattering sigil' or whatever that symbol was. The image faded and left the portal softly glowing again.

"Well, this is going to be interesting," Cynder said.

"I wanted to go home too," Trigger Happy wined.

"We're just gonna have to wait," Gill Grunt said. "Time to go?"

"Yeah...right," I said, slowly putting the Skylanders back into my bag. I slung it over my shoulder and picked up the portal in my hands. With a huff, I started back to my house, listening to the chattering Skylanders all the way. I tried to stop myself from shaking.

What in the world had I gotten myself into?

* * *

So...that happened. And yes, I'm aware there was a lot of talking. Trust me, the next one will actually make sense.

Please review :)


	9. Chapter 8

Hey everyone!

I actually have a chapter that makes sense (and is really long) but makes sense! I promise from here on out that chapters will be in my usual style.

I do not own Skylanders.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

~Icicle

Sunlight peaked under my eyelids, beckoning me to wake up and start the day. Morning already? Yawning, I forced my eyes open and looked around sleepily. I was laying in a hammock strung between two trees, close to where the Core of Light originally stood. I vaguely remembered finding the hammock in the underground storage room and setting it up before crashing (ha ha) into the deepest sleep of my life. Shaking myself awake, I swung my legs out of the hammock and looked around.

It's hard to describe how I felt. Imagine seeing the place that you had worked and trained and eaten and played and lived in, a place that was always full of life and sound and the people who you care about more than the world, a place that was truly home. Imagine it empty, desolate, destroyed, ruined. Imagine all of that is gone and the only thing left is skeletons of the places you used to know. It's dead silent, save for the rustling trees and a few bird sounds.

And I was seeing it after two weeks. Hugo said he spent most of his time cleaning after he emerged from the tunnels, trying to salvage all that he could from the wreckage. There honestly wasn't much to be salvaged. I had seen it and it amounted to a few boxes worth of scorched wall carvings. Thank the portals that the important stuff, like the achieves, library, and priceless treasures, was underground.

Speaking of Hugo, where is he? And everyone else for that matter because I remember Spyro curling up under one tree, Hugo going back into the tunnels, Master Eon going back to whatever realm he exists in, and Flynn falling asleep in his balloon...which was not there. Okay then. It looks like I'm entirely alone because I am not going into that underground maze just to find the nerdy Mabu. No offense to him, of course, but that place is a death trap and going in alone is basically committing yourself to a long a slow death of hopeless wandering.

If you couldn't tell, I'm not a huge fan of underground places. It's an elf thing. We prefer earth under our feet and sky above our heads. There are some exceptions, of course; my best friend Hailey decided to become a pilot and she can fly circles around anyone at any time of day. However, considering that most of us have a deep fear of flying and hate having tons of rock above our heads, it's safe to say that if you ever meet an elf, they will prefer to stay above ground and on it.

"Hey Icicle," a familiar voice called. Turning, I found Hugo pulling a large cart of items behind him, somewhat struggling with the weight. It mostly consisted of items that looked more appropriate in a museum's cartography section, but I suppose we were a little pressed for technology of any kind considering that most of it was completely incinerated. Among the gathered items were several documents, many yellow with age and all looking extremely fragile.

"Mornin Hugo," I said. "Where's Spyro, Flynn, and Master Eon?"

"Spyro and Flynn looking for Cali, the famous explorer," he replied. "She's agreed to help us. They should be back sooner or later. Master Eon is back in the spirit realm. It takes a lot of energy for him to appear in Skylands so it could be a while before we see him again."

"So, how much do ye know about Gatekeepers?" I asked as he pulled his wagon up to one of the few skeletal structures left standing.

"Well, what do you want to know?" he inquired, rummaging through the pile of junk. "I know it's in here somewhere..."

"Did Master Eon know about me bein a Gatekeeper?" I asked, genuinely curious. There was a lot I wanted answered, but at the same time, I didn't necessarily want to be in front of all my colleagues when I got those answers. I do want some privacy, after all.

"I don't think so," he said, pulling out a glowing orb. He frowned and tossed it back into the pile. "He never said anything if he did. I mean, there are a few signs now that I think about it. For starters, you are exceptionally good with controlling elemental magic at your age and, from what I can remember, Gatekeepers tend to be on the shorter side."

Says the Mabu.

Okay, I know I'm small and diminutive even for an elf, that I honestly look like I'm twelve years old, and I can sometimes make fairies look tall. I'm aware that I have been compared to the height of a daisy. I realize that literally everyone feels tall next to me, save for maybe a gremlin or two. But could you not point it out? That would be great.

"Could Master Eon and I have bonded?" I further inquired, trying to keep my temper under wraps. That is something that doesn't need to come out right this second. I'm not really angry, per say, but the second I can, I'm punching a dummy. Again, Hugo shook his head

"I don't think so. Traditionally, a Gatekeeper only bonds with one Portal Master, one who they trust very deeply as a friend," he said. "It just wouldn't work between you and Master Eon." That made sense. Master Eon was more of a grandfather/elder figure than a close friend. While I trusted him with my life, you kind of have to when said person is flinging you across the planet through a rip in reality, it wasn't the same kind of relationship.

"Is there a book or somethin that further explains ma powers?" I asked. "Cause no one seems tae know much about it."

"There's probably something in the-Ah ha! Here it is!" With grand flourish, he pulled out an old scroll, tightly rolled and bound with a worn leather strap. He undid the knot, revealing an old architectural drawing drawn in fine pencil strokes. It showed a dome-like shell around an elaborate inner structure, and even some delicate machinery that appeared to be underground. The measurements and words along the side were slightly illegible, and probably in a different language, but it was pretty obvious what the blueprints were for.

"That's the Core of Light," I said, peeking over Hugo's shoulder.

"Right you are, Icicle. I found this in the achieves last night," he said. "I've got most of it worked out and I think I know where we should start. Once Spyro and Flynn get back-"

"They're back," I said, spotting Flynn's balloon overhead. It was certainly an impressive craft, bearing all eight elemental symbols on the balloon itself and a sturdy basket below. Spyro was flying alongside the craft, dropping into a swoop as he neared the Ruins. With a quick flap and wing turn he landed next to Hugo and me, touching down without a hitch.

"Good morning, Icicle," he said, yawning slightly.

"Since when are ye the early bird?" I teasingly asked.

"Since never," he said. "But we stopped for coffee on the way back. I couldn't remember if you liked it or not so we got you hot chocolate and a bagel."

"Ye didn't have tae do that," I said, my face feeling sort of hot. I present: side effect of having zero male friends growing up and being completely ignored by guys as I got older. Every time one of my male colleagues does something nice, flirts with me, or gives me a compliment, my face turns the color of an apple dipped in bright red paint and set next to a fire truck. It's just so weird to have members of the other gender notice me at all.

And no, I don't have a crush on Spyro. He is impressive and a great leader, not to mention he rocks purple scales like no one else. The prospect of actually dating him, however, just doesn't make sense in my head. It's like trying to add two and two and getting an answer of five; it just doesn't work. Plus, I would have to deal with Cynder's wrath.

Nope. Not gonna go there. I'm not wishing for death.

"We thought it would be a good idea since the two boys forgot to invite you," a female voice said. Turning, I saw a tall Mabu woman in brown adventuring gear with a crimson scarf around her neck. This must be Cali, the most famous explorer in all of Skylands, who had attempted to map all of its islands and got further than anyone else in history before she was forced to stop. In one hand was a small paper bag; the other held a steaming coffee cup with a plastic lid. She offered them to me and I graciously accepted them.

"Thank ye," I said, the aroma of chocolate making my mouth water and my stomach growl. I took a small sip of the hot chocolate, savoring the rich and creamy drink as it passed over my taste buds. Not too hot, not too cold. I downed it in a few gulps, not realizing how thirsty I was, before tearing open the bag and devouring the bagel in approximately five bites. Food is one of those things that I hadn't really thought about while flying through space and time, but now that it was in front of me, it felt like there was a gaping hole in my stomach that was the size of the Cloudbreak Islands.

"Slow down," Cali laughed. "You're going to hurl if you eat that fast."

"I'm hungry," I said, popping the last of the bagel in my mouth and holding out my hand. "Icicle."

"I'm Cali," she responded, shaking it. A small shriek came from Hugo's direction, followed by many little noises that sounded like animal bleating. I bemusedly watched as the Mabu attempted to ward off three fluffy sheep with a small stick before throwing a flower across the island. The sheep turned their attention away from Hugo and wandered off, looking for the object he had thrown.

"Honestly Hugo, they're just sheep," Cali said, not particularity amused at his fear of the domestic livestock. He took a deep breath, about to launch into a rant about the evils of sheep, when Cali cut him off with a hand. "I did not come here to hear a lecture on malicious farm animals. Where's your Far Viewer?"

"Right this way," he said, snapping back to the important task at hand. He lead us over to an area off to the side, heavily overgrown with vines and bramble. They creeped across the ground, obscuring anything that might have rested within. Spyro and I took one glance at the foliage before blasting it into oblivion, he with his fireball and me with my ice. In a few seconds, the area was clear, revealing a fairly large brass disk on a pedestal. Cali touched a small panel and a large telescope popped up, sending up a small cloud of dust.

"This thing's a little rusty, but it should do the trick," she said, fiddling with the controls. "

The magic in the Far Viewer will show us anything we need to find. Now, what are we looking for?"

"The first Eternal Source-Air," Hugo said, looking into the telescope. Behind us, a noise that sounded like sizzling steak combined with the worst static in the history of bad reception pierced the air. In a small flash of light, Jeremy appeared, looking pretty much like he did on Earth, but considerably shorter and tinted slightly blue. He was wearing different clothes than yesterday and he looked a little frazzled.

"Am I late?" he franticly asked. "What did I miss?"

"You're just in time," Flynn said. "Sure, you might have missed me rescuing that lovely lady over there, but other than that, you're good."

"What Flynn is trying to say is that earlier this morning, we went to pick up Cali, the Mabu woman over there, and we needed to rescue her," Spyro clarified, giving Flynn a slight evil eye. "We're currently looking for the first part we need to repair the Core of Light, the Eternal Air Source."

"Oh, okay," he said, letting out a sigh of relief. "The Skylanders were all yelling at me and saying I was going to miss something important and doom them all. They barely let me eat breakfast!"

"Guys, stop being idiots," Spyro hollered into thin air. I could almost hear the grumbling coming from our teammates.

"Ah! I found it!" Hugo shouted. "It's at the Stormy Stronghold. It looks like the drow got a hold of it, but the place is being blown apart by the force of the winds."

"Hm...my balloon's gonna need a little something extra to get through that storm," Flynn said, taking a look through the Far Viewer.

"You mean like a propeller, genius?" Cali sarcastically asked.

"No, no, what I need is a propeller," he said, taping his chin thoughtfully. Everyone gathered face palmed. I don't know how Hugo found this guy, but he must have been very desperate to rely on this airhead of an aviator.

"Really? _Really?_ " Cali fumed, about ready to punch the pilot in the face. _"_ Fine. The drow at the Sky Schooner Docks have the best airship technology in Skylands. The propeller from their Elite Airship should be strong enough to get us through the storm. You get back to your balloon, brain-trust, and I'll mark it on the map with a big red x. Hugo, see if you can find some other things that will help us out."

"The Sky Schooner Docks and the Stormy Stronghold," Spyro said thoughtfully as the three Mabu went their separate ways. "We'll need at least one member of the air element. Jeremy, how many Skylanders do you think you can put through?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. "From what the other Skylanders have told me, since I'm here on Earth, I can only perform a set amount of spells every day and some of the energy is devoted to keeping the portal activated on my side. I don't know how much energy I'm getting from Icicle either, but I can probably send at least one person through."

"Send Whirlwind. The Air Skylanders are stable enough without their elemental leader," Spyro said. There was a small pause, a pop, and Whirlwind dropped down from a portal, giving a split second glimpse of what looked like a bedroom ceiling. She have out a whoop and spread her wings out, soaring into the sky.

"Twists of fury!" she shouted, laughing as she performed loop de loops. "Oh, it feels so good to be airborne again! It's like I was never frozen!"

"Whirlwind, you ready?" Spyro called, giving her a few seconds to stretch her wings out.

"Ready? I'm ready to kick some major drow butt! Get up here, Spyro!" she said. Spyro complied, springing into the air. I decided to go the route of not riding dragonback and climbed into Flynn's balloon. The basket was surprisingly roomy. Jeremy's hologram disappeared, probably to avoid conflicts with travel.

"Alright, let's get this thing into the wild blue!" Flynn said, starting up the burner. The balloon inflated and we were off, although not before hitting the top of a structure first. The trip was very smooth, there was only a slight wind, and I had to agree, Flynn was a very good pilot. That's not the reason why my hands were tightly clenched onto the basket edge the entire way. Despite my best intentions, I kept looking down, down into the clouds below. I saw myself as a little girl, falling through open sky with nothing to stop my fall, screaming to the heaven's above. I forced my eyes shut, trying to calm down.

Why was I thinking of this now? Just like how my chronic shyness was slowly getting better, I had gotten better with flying. Kind of. I was willing to ride on the backs of my fellow dragons and dragon hybrids if necessary, as shown in the battle at the Citadel, but I preferred for that to happen only in emergencies. I still didn't like being airborne but instead of being perpetually terrified, I was just extremely scared. That's improvement. So why am I now feeling that same level of terror right now?

Maybe crashing into another planet from atmospheric heights wasn't the best thing for my recovery process.

"Ah, here we are," Flynn said, landing his balloon at the furthest dock. I carefully stepped onto the stone platform...that was hovering in midair. Oh, did I mention that the Sky Schooner Docks are actually a set of floating platforms and incredibly small islands that are meant for ships to refuel before setting off across Skylands again? Yeah, I had forgotten about that myself. Oops.

"Alright," Spyro said, he and Whirlwind landing next to us. "We just have to find the Elite Airship, take it down, and get their Golden Propeller. Whirlwind, you and I will keep the air clear while Icicle gets the propeller."

"Yeah, should be simple enough," Flynn said, looking across the dock. "Especially for heroes like us."

"Then let's get to it," Whirlwind said, running down the dock. With quick precision, I summoned my ice skates, created a rink beneath my feet, and shot down the length of the dock. Drow started pouring out of the patrol ships immediately, rushing us with their spears drawn. Leaping into the air, Spyro and Whirlwind engaged the approaching ships, shooting off fireballs and destructive tempests while effortlessly dodging bullets. I picked up speed and skated into the fray, slashing my blades at the spearmen They looked at me in surprise, many suffering injuries before they realized I was even there.

"Get the drowling!" one of them shouted, causing a wave of people to chase after me. Glancing up to Spyro and Whirlwind, who were busy playing 'let's see who can shoot down more ships without being shot themselves', I put on a burst of speed and skated away from the drow. My goal here was to get to the propeller as fast as elfly possible, not battle drow (although it was a little tempting). Coming to another wave of spearmen, I slashed one spear out of my way and vaulted over the soldiers, causing the drow behind me to collide with their companions.

"Ooh, what fun," a voice said to my left. A fairy woman was flying next to me, her blue hair flapping in the wind as she gracefully parted the air around her. She had electric blue wings that were buzzing fiercely and the little red gem in her forehead was lightly pulsing. "Hello extremely! Skylanders here to stop the silly drow. It is so good to have you back."

"Persephone!" I exclaimed, giving the fairy queen a wide smile. "It's good tae see ye." Persephone was one of the Citadel's permanent inhabitants, always ready to help us unlock new abilities or give us some advice, even if very little of it made a lot of sense. She was someone I could always turn to if I needed to rant about being short. Like pretty much everyone who had been at headquarters, she had fled the island when Kaos had attacked. After seeing what had happened to Master Eon, was good to see her in one piece.

"It is good to see you too, great Icicle," she said, giving me a warm smile. "I had best get back to the Core now that you are back. Drow are no fun to dance with. Happy luck!" With that, the fairy vanished into a flash of light, probably teleporting herself back to the Ruins. I turned my attention back to the task at hand, leaping between the smaller islands as I made my way towards the propeller. Spyro and Whirlwind dove into the airship protecting it, letting loose their attacks on the drow on board. When the airship got close enough, I jumped onto the deck and joined the fight.

Five minutes of complete and utter hell later, we cleared the ship of the drow and made our way to the storage bay. A few ships attempted to stop us but the two dragons were able to fend them off while I secured the propeller to Flynn's ballon. It was an impressive bit of machinery, orange gold in color with a fine shine to it and two large wings. The second it was tied on, I jumped into the balloon and we were off, the two dragons lightly pushing the aircraft into the jet stream.

"Good work guys," Spyro said as he circled next to the balloon.

"That was fun!" Whirlwind exclaimed. "I haven't been on a mission like that in forever!"

"Flynn, how long do you think it'll take to get the propeller working?" Spyro asked. The Mabu pilot shrugged his shoulders, steering the balloon towards the Ruins. He landed in his usual place, a slightly open field with good cover, coming into a fairly smooth landing.

"Eh, not too long. Take some time to cool your jets and we'll be back in the air before you know it," he replied, pulling out a tool box. The two dragons touched down near the Far Viewer, taking a second look into the magical telescope. I hopped out of the basket, my legs slightly shaking from being airborne for so long and totally not because we were traveling at speeds that a hot air balloon should not be traveling even without a propeller.

Okay then. I've definitely regressed on my flying issues.

Slowly, but surely, I made my way over to the Far Viewer, my legs regaining their mobility with each step. Spyro was talking tactics with Whirlwind while Hugo and Cali were busy pouring over manuals and blueprints of the Citadel's buildings and machinery. Persephone was at her usual station, a small structure that had been obliterated during the explosion but she seemed to making the best of the situation, decorating the place with flowers and small magical orbs.

Coming up to the Far Viewer, I took my own look at the Stormy Stronghold. There was a massive tornado centered around a large fortress that was tearing the place to shreds. Well, this aught to be fun. The same horrible static noise filled the air and Jeremy's hologram appeared next to me.

"That was...do you guys do stuff like that every day?" he asked.

"Aye, although, it doesn't always go that smoothly," I replied.

"It was so cool watching you guys," he continued. "All those fancy tricks and movements; it was like watching an action movie. I mean, I know you guys were in danger, but the way you guys were fighting made it look so natural."

"Well, yer about tae see more of that," I said, focusing on the fortress in my line of vision. "We're headin out tae the Stormy Stronghold as soon as Flynn's done upgradin his balloon."

"Should I send anyone else through?" Jeremy asked, turning to the purple dragon. Spyro looked up and shook his head.

"Not just yet," he said. "It's very likely that we'll get into situations where we'll need you to teleport us to safety. We need you to save your energy for those times."

"Sounds good. How do I teleport you without a portal?" he asked. Spyro opened his mouth then closed it. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that you have no idea."

"Master Eon never really explained how he did it," Whirlwind clarified. "He just opened up portals whenever and wherever we needed them. I don't know if it's something a non-Portal Master can explain."

"And we're ready! Boom!" Flynn shouted from across the island. In less than ten or so minutes, he had attached a working propeller/motor to his balloon, and it actually looked capable of directed flight now. It hovered above the ground now, two large wings sprouting out of its sides like a dragon in mid-flight.

"That's our cue. Let's go!" Spyro shouted. In a mirror image of earlier, I jumped into the basket of the hot air balloon and we took off, but traveling significantly faster than before. Spyro and Whirlwind struggled to keep pace with the balloon, eventually dropping into the basket beside me when the winds picked up to speeds in which no creatures shout really be traveling in. It was very cramped to say the least. No longer a smooth ride, Flynn fought against the raging winds, using the new propeller to steer us into the storm.

I just prayed to the gods above that it would be over soon.

"I'm not gonna land this thing," Flynn shouted over the gale. "It might not get off the ground in this weather even with my awesome skills. You're gonna have to jump ship when we get close to the fortress."

"Icicle, ride with Whirlwind," Spyro commanded. "Our plan is get in there, get the Air Source in our possession, and stop anyone who gets in our way." We nodded and I carefully climbed onto the dragon/unicorn hybrid, laying on her back. The two of them put their front feet onto the edges of the basket, waiting for the perfect time to jump out. One wrong move and we would be flung to the edges of Skylands by the storm's jet streams.

"Now!" Whirlwind shouted, diving out of the basket. The winds picked us up immediately and shot us around the military base, giving us a good view of what we were up against. We were above the outer wall of the fortress, normally heavily defended with drow of all kinds. Now, most of them were desperately trying to contain the massive tornado at the center of the stronghold, using some mechanical pillars to try and harness the energy.

"Pillars first?" I shouted over the whipping winds.

"Just what I was thinking!" she shouted back. Tucking her wings in, she plunged for the first magical machine, blasting it with one of her non-friendly rainbows. The machine broke in two, falling to the ground and stopping the energy absorption. Unable to reach my knives, I blasted the drow below us with my ice, freezing enough to allow us to get away. Spyro was attacking the pillars as well, roasting them into charred statues with his fireballs. The drow had caught onto our plan, attacking us with arrows and flying disks as we swooped past and fiercely protecting their remaining pillars.

"I'll be right back!" I shouted, jumping off Whirlwind into a sea of drow. Not my brightest idea ever, but I was about ready to do anything to get my feet on solid ground. Wielding my knives in both hands, I stabbed them into the nearest goliath drow before flipping off his back and throwing them at two different witches. I used the blades on my arms to speedily attack anyone in arm's reach and kicking those who got too close. A rainbow blasted from Whirlwind's horn and the pillar broke into four separate pieces, the last one remaining. I broke free of the mass and skated towards the inner stronghold.

I did not see the goliath drow that grabbed my arm and flung me at Whirlwind. I crashed into her chest, knocking the wind out of her, and we both started free falling. Not again-not again-not again! I was screaming at the top of my lungs. Nothing coherent, nothing that could have even been remotely mistaken for words, just pure, primal terror.

" **No!** "

A portal appeared below us, swirling in hundreds of different colors but a bit smaller than the ones I was familiar with. We plunged through and the next thing I knew, we were sprawled on the top of the stronghold. Literally nothing in my head was functioning correctly. Another portal opened overhead and Spyro fell on top of us, shooting pain throughout my lower back and my legs and my upper back and my ribcage. Basically anywhere there could be pain, there was pain.

"I can't tell who's on me," Whirlwind muttered. "But please get off." Spyro grunted and rolled off the two of us, using his horns to untangle me from Whirlwind's legs. Believe me, the position we were in was likely to get a lot of...comments from our teammates late on.

"Something hit you guys too?" he asked. Whirlwind nodded, wincing a little as she used her healing powers on the three of us. I can see why Spyro chose Whirlwind above the other Air Slylanders; she was the only one of us that could heal others on the fly. For something like this, where every advantage had to be exploited, a healer was vital to our success.

"More like a goliath drow threw Icicle at me," she replied. "You?"

"Drow witch. Got me right between the wings," he said, showing her the long cut down his back. "Looks like Jeremy figured out how to make portals just in time. And communicate mentally with us as well."

"Icicle, are you okay?" Whirlwind asked, repairing the damage to Spyro's scales.

"Just give me a minute," I said between ragged breaths. Calm down. Calm down. You're no longer falling. You're not gonna die. You're not gonna die.

" **Look out!** " Instinctively, I hit the ground. Two large blades flew over our heads and smashed into the wall behind us, breaking off large chunks of stone. Oh, right. Middle of battle. Grabbing my knives, I threw them in the direction I had seen the blades come from. The two dragons leaped to attention, scattering in different directions. Drow of all kinds and floating cloud monsters, windbag dijinnis by the look of them, surrounded us on all sides. I fell into some sort of battle trance, pretty much operating on autopilot. With everything we had left, we blasted, stabbed, swiped, charged, electrocuted, and pretty much demolished anything we could see. Drow fell left and right and the windbag dijinnis bursted open, sending gusts of wind all over the battle.

"Icicle!" Spyro shouted, snapping me back to reality. I looked around. There was no one left to fight. Nothing was around us, save for a glowing orb in the center of the platform. It was turquoise colored and underneath the surface swirled powerful currents. The Eternal Air Source. The three of us carefully approached it, none of us daring to touch it. Suddenly there was a bright flash, temporarily blinding everything in my sight. When my vision finally cleared, I found myself standing by the ruins of the Core, Spyro and Whirlwind beside me while the Eternal Air Source floated above us. Hugo and Cali looked at us in shock, Persephone observed us with great interest, and Jeremy's hologram popped up next to us. He looked just as confused as us.

"What...just...happened?" Spyro slowly asked.

"I'm not sure," the young Portal Master said. "I just...wanted you guys to get back here quickly and...this happened."

"The Eternal Air Source responded to your power and brought you back here," a familiar voice said. Master Eon, or rather, Master Eon's head, floated down to our level. "I see you found the Eternal Air Source. Excellent work." The second the words left his lips, the orb sank into the area where the Core of Light used to reside. A powerful wind kicked up, forming a mini tornado while two pieces of identical machinery in the shape of stone fountains floated down from smaller islands. When the wind died down, there was a small metal platform inserted into the ground with two guardian statues on its side.

We all watched dumbfounded.

"That...was...awesome!" Jeremy exclaimed.

"We have the Eternal Air Source integrated into the Core," Hugo said. "We're well on our way to fixing it, but I'll need some time to find the next piece."

"That's fine," Spyro said, looking up at the Mabu. "Besides, I don't think I can handle another mission today."

"I think I'm out of energy too," Jeremy said. "The portal's acting strange again. I don't think I can put anymore Skylanders through."

"Then we'll see you tomorrow," Whirlwind said, smiling at the Portal Master. "Get some rest."

"Will do," he said before the hologram disappeared. The three of us took one look at each other, walked over to where we had designated living quarters, and collapsed. It wasn't even that late in the day, maybe mid-afternoon at the latest, but I was exhausted out of my mind. The two dragons looked worse, having flown for most of the day on their own power.

"I'm hungry," Whirlwind dazedly said

"I'm tired," I replied.

"I remembered why we don't do back to back missions," Spyro groaned. "Never do this again?"

"Agreed."

* * *

Yeah, ending was a tad weak, but hey, for once, things made sense.

Please review. It makes me all happy inside.


	10. Chapter 9

Hey everyone!

I'm gonna be honest, I thought this chapter was shorter than the previous one while I was writing it. It didn't quite turn out that way when I saw the word count. So, you get another long-ish one.

I don't own Skylanders.

Enjoy :)

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

~Icicle

Just to clarify, my house wasn't damaged during the explosion. It was far enough away that I didn't have to worry about it being disintegrated during the blast. Very few living spaces actually were damaged, the apartment building on the main island being the sole exception to that rule. That thing was just gone. No, the problem was that the bridge system to the smaller islands was utterly demolished during the battle and that rebuilding them could take weeks which we did not have and money we couldn't afford to waste. Instead, we all decided to camp out in the Ruins until further notice, aka when the Core was finally back up and running and Kaos was out of the picture.

In short, that's why I was sleeping outside in a hammock.

I like hammocks. They're comfortable, they never get too warm at night, and I can fall asleep to gently rocking in the wind and listening to bird song as I wake up. Believe me, as a member of the water element, and growing up in a sub-polar climate, being too warm is not good for anything. Sure, hammocks are not the most stable piece of bedding in the world, and they don't have a ton of privacy, but they do in a pinch. Plus, the tents were kind of big for one person, I wasn't about to sleep underground, and my only other options were a musty sleeping bag or a squeaky cot. Compared to that, sleeping in a hammock was no contest.

At least until I was forcibly dumped out of it one morning.

"Wake up, sleepy head," Stealth Elf teased as I hit the grass below me. "It's already eight o'clock." I looked at her through glassed over eyes, somehow managing to crack a smile.

"Stealthie! Jeremy decided tae send ye through?" I asked, shaking myself awake. I don't mind being woken up; I prefer to do so on my own terms but I'm not going to murder someone if they do like Spyro. Stealth Elf offered me a hand and I took it. With a quick heave, she pulled me to my feet, teasingly patting me on the head.

"You bet," she replied. "Since we're looking for the Life Seeds, he thought it would be a good idea to have a Life Skylander on the team. He's currently grabbing something to eat."

"Just so ye know, I've been up fer a while," I said, "I was just restin ma lids." Out of a small basket of food that Cali had set up a few days back, I grabbed two apples and tossing one to the ninja. She took a glance at the ruby red fruit, pulled off her mask, and pretty much devoured it whole.

"Uh huh, sure," Stealth Elf said, pulling up her face mask again. "Say, where's everyone else?"

"Scatterin tae the four corners of Skylands on other requests," I annoyedly said. It was now one day over a week since Spyro and I had returned to Skylands. I wish I could say we were able to get a good chunk of the Core rebuilt, but things were going slower than planned. In total, we had recovered the Eternal Air Source, the Twin Spouts of Ocea Major-Minor, the Eternal Water Source, the Crystal Eye, and the Eternal Earth Source. The Core was actually starting to look familiar from the outside, although I had no idea what it looked like underground. Now that seems like a lot, but when you factor in that the Core of Light has fifteen separate parts and it can take quite a bit of time to locate even one, and they must be assembled in order, that sucks up time.

In addition, both Kaos and the rest of Skylands knew we were back. That was bad for three different reasons. First, every time we got close to a part of the Core, our enemies were well prepared and waiting for us, resulting in extremely long battles. Yesterday's battle in Stonetown started well before dawn and it was almost dinner time before we had the Earth Source in our possession. Second, requests were flooding in from every corner of Skylands, quite a few coming from places that were days away. There was even a cry for help from the Cloudbreak Islands, and my home is always on guard. It's not like we could refuse; we're Skylanders. That's our job. Third, because we were so far flung, Jeremy had to teleport us constantly, which meant he could still only send one Skylander per day. As of today, we had Spyro, Whirlwind, Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy, Terrafin, Chop Chop, Eruptor, Stealth Elf, and me.

From thirty-seven to nine.

Yeah, none of us were missing the irony about being understaffed.

Being a Gatekeeper, everyone made the assumption that I just had to be there every time we found an Eternal Source or a part of the Core. I suppose it makes sense, since the machinery parts were getting increasingly harder to find and my mental map could instantly locate anything...with some margin of error. We found that out the hard way since no matter how hard I tried last night, I just couldn't find the Life Source. The map was getting a lot more detailed and I could even locate Skylanders when they were islands away, but it wasn't by any means perfect. With that somewhat busted, we were relying on finding the Life Seeds to point us in the right direction.

"Ah, there you two lovely ladies are," the ent said as we approached him. He stood by a giant beanstalk that he had grown up from the ground the night before, stunning absolutely everyone considering he literally popped out of the dirt thirty seconds before he did it. "You ready to head up to Treetop Terrace? We need to hurry. The trees are in danger! Are you ready to go quickly?"

"We're ready," Stealth Elf said, stepping onto the giant leaf. I followed her, Arbo stepping on last. The vines slowly creeped upwards, winding their way up the beanstalk and taking us with. It gave an amazing view of the surrounding area and I was surprisingly calm for being up so high. It wasn't flying; it was riding on a giant leaf elevator. Huge difference. It could also be because it's a plant and I'm an elf and elves like plants. Either way, it was a pleasant trip.

We emerged into Treetop Terrace, the forest looking much as it did the last time I was here, with two exceptions. First, the leaves were changing colors, now in various shades of yellow, orange, and brown instead of bright, mature green. This part of Skylands must operate on a different seasonal schedule than the Citadel, which was not surprising at all. Two, we certainly didn't have to hunt for the drow this time around, because they. Were. _Everywhere_. It almost looked like there were more of them here than at the Stormy Stronghold.

"The trees tell me that the pointy ears, er, not you two of course, are taking the Life Seeds for themselves. This is not nature's wish. You must stop them!" he said, looking slightly embarrassed when he remembered that Stealthie and I were, well, pointy ears ourselves. Surprisingly, pointy ears is not that much of an insult to elves. It's highly annoying but very few elves will take offense if you call us pointy ears. I mean, we have large, pointy ears. That's like saying, "Oh, you have a big nose." Some days I might take that offensively, most days I won't.

"Sounds good," Stealth Elf said, leading the way down the ramps. I skated after her, the two of us trying to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible.

That lasted the whole of three seconds before we were swarmed by corn hornets.

Have I ranted about corn hornets? I feel like I've ranted about corn hornets. Either way, I'm ranting about them again. Corn hornets are the single most annoying creatures in Skylands, transcending even Chompies in the amount of frustration they provide. They're fast, shoot stingers that are difficult to dodge and are poisoned so when they do hit you, you're stunned for a few seconds as the poison races through your body. Everything burns and you honestly want to die. And that's just one corn hornet. Now put them in a swarm of about twenty.

"I hate these things," Stealth Elf said, stabbing her dagger through the last of the flying menaces. It shuttered twice before going still. "They're absolutely everywhere in the forest I grew up in."

"Last time I was here, Chop Chop an I came across five different swarms," I said, wiping corn hornet guts off my knives. It was a sticky purple fluid that didn't behave anything like blood. Not the grossest thing I've dealt with, believe me when I say that, but it's up there.

"Right, you've been here before," she said, kicking the yellow and black striped hornet over the side of the trunk.

"Aye, but last time, we were down there fer most of the mission," I said, pointing down towards the forest below. "It's strange, cause last time, I was teleported here. I never realized we were above it."

"Me neither. So, what are the chances we weren't heard?"

"Yer a ninja, Stealthie."

"You aren't."

"Eh, fifty-fifty?" I guessed.

" **Drobot puts it at twenty-eighty,** " Jeremy said telepathically. Oh, and Jeremy and I could now communicate mind to mind whenever we wanted to. It's common between Portal Masters and Skylanders, like when he was communicating with us all back at the Stormy Stronghold, but I was really the only one who could communicate back. As Jeremy put it, whenever someone needed help when he wasn't watching, he felt panic and heard the word 'portal' and that's about it. Must be a Gatekeeper thing.

The relationship between us...well, it's hard to explain. I could always feel him near me, like a benevolent presence. If I thought about him, I could feel his feelings and thoughts. If he thought about me, he could do the same. I didn't actually know what he was thinking, but I could tell what was on his mind at any given time. If I wanted to talk with him, it was as easy as with someone standing next to me. At first, it was a little creepy, and that was the opinion on both ends, but now, it wasn't any more strange than when Lumina and Atra went into my head.

So, still pretty damn weird.

" **Good mornin tae ye as well** ," I thought back. " **So, how's everythin lookin?** "

" **Well, besides the extremely large amount of drow, you guys shouldn't have too many problems. Do you want me to tell you where the seeds are or-** "

" **Already got it,** " I said, pulling up the map in my head. It showed the Life Seeds in the center of a terraced tree stump with a small blinking sack icon. A vast improvement from just a white outline, if I do say so myself. " **If we need a portal, we'll holler yer way.** "

" **Or just holler,** " he said with a mental snicker. " **Gotta go. Spyro and Whirlwind are battling rouge dragons and they need portals asap.** "

" **See ye soon,** " I said. If you couldn't tell, Jeremy took his new responsibilities very, very seriously. During the first couple of days, he really didn't know what he was doing but he tried his best to keep everything functioning. He was very gifted and learned quickly, but there wasn't much we could do to actually show him what we were up against. Then Kaos stepped in back when we were fighting over the Eternal Water Source. I think that's when he really realized just how much this meant to us, how much was at stake if we lost. Most people would have backed out in fear for their safety or lives. Heck, quite a few of the Skylanders were worried about the odds we were facing. Instead, Jeremy came back with a vengeance, diving full on into his responsibilities as a Portal Master. Still, he was still learning the ropes and tended to be...a little overprotective at times.

I turned to Stealth Elf who was patiently waiting. Apparently, when I was talking with Jeremy, my eyes started glowing a soft pink instead of the usual yellow. I hadn't actually seen the phenomenon for myself, but it was believable enough. That was a clue to the people around me to not interrupt us. Sometimes they didn't. Sometimes.

"So, what's up?" she asked.

"Drobot puts the odds more at twenty-eighty but besides all the drow, we're good."

"Then why are we standing here?" We kept down the same path, but instead of walking on the ramps, we kept to the leaves and branches. The drow probably knew we were there; there was no reason for us to make it any easier to find us. Still, why weren't they attacking? Drow have just as good hearing, or better, than we do; they could've found us if they really wanted to. It was putting both of us on edge.

"Hey, over there," Stealth Elf whispered, stopping for a second. I crouched down and peered through a small gap in the leaves. She was pointing to a metal structure off to the side. It was shaped like a circle, the outside made out of a silvery metal while the inside contained a floating purple magic symbol. No one was coming anywhere close to it; the nearest spearman was a good fifty feet away and kept looking back at the structure with quick glances.

"An elemental gate," I breathed. No one in Skylands really knew what they were besides the fact that they could only be opened by someone who's element matched the symbol on the gate. It had to be your dominate element too; if it was pretty much dormant within your body, it wouldn't work. Sometimes there would be treasures hidden within, often times hidden behind complex puzzles or hazardous traps. As a general rule, they can show up just about anywhere and make everyone who comes within close proximity feel just a tiny bit on edge.

"We'll tell Spyro when we get back," Stealth Elf said in a low voice. "I think it would be a bad idea to get close to it considering what happened last time."

"Aye," I replied. Elemental gates aren't very rare. Uncommon yes, but if you travel enough, you're sure to come across a few. As a Skylander, I had seen my fair share, but like most people, I had never opened or went into one. In fact, the first gate I had tried to open was just a few days ago, back at Dark Water Cove.

Let's just say it didn't end well.

* * *

 _"Well, wouldn't you look at that," Gill Grunt said, looking at the water gate. We were deep within Dark Water Cove, having barely escaped a hoard of angry squidfaces and had unexpectedly come across the gate in a side cave. "An elemental gate in here of all places. Why don't we just take a quick peak inside?"_

 _"Gill, I don't think we should open it," Spyro said, looking over his shoulder. "We've got pirates after us. This really isn't the best time."_

 _"Why not?" Trigger Happy asked, hopping onto Spyro's head. "Seems a good a time as any, since the pirates aren't gonna let us come back. Besides, there could be treasure inside."_

 _"As long as it's them and not me," Whirlwind shuttered. "I hate going inside gates. I always feel like someone's watching me." She, along with Spyro and Trigger Happy, were a good distance away from the elemental gate, looking at it with unease. They obviously didn't want to be anywhere near it. Gill seemed perfectly fine, and if he wasn't, he was hiding it pretty well. I felt something, a little bit of discomfort, but no more than if I had been in an unfamiliar place and simply didn't know my way around._

 _"Icicle, ever been inside a gate before?" Gill Grunt asked. I shook my head, looking up at the structure. It wasn't very large, but anything that could have behind it was blocked from my line of sight. "It's pretty simple. Just walk up to it and the gate will open up." Taking a breath, I took a few steps towards the gate. Nothing was happening. When I was in arm distance of the gate, so close I could reach out and touch it, the surface of the circle flashed and vanished._

 _Screaming. That's all I remember. The next thing I knew I was on the ground, writhing in pain and screaming at the top of my lungs. All I knew was that I shouldn't go in and that more importantly, I should be anywhere near that gate. I don't remember why I was screaming or what had caused it, but something had terrified me so bad that I was willing to let out a bloodcurdling shriek in the depths of enemy territory._

 _"Icicle, it's okay, it's okay." I somehow made out Whirlwind's voice, using it as a life line out of the depths of my mind. After what felt like an eternity, I finally was able to open my eyes, shut my mouth, and get my shaking limbs under control. Whirlwind had her horn resting on my forehead, her wings covering me protectively as she whispered calming words. The sounds of fighting came from across the cavern, the three boys no doubt engaged in battle._

 _"What...what happened?" I deliriously asked, trying to sit up._

 _"Don't move," she gently said, pushing me back down. "You're still in shock. Don't worry, the gate's closed. Whatever it is can't get you." She carefully pulsed a rainbow in my direction, sending the magic through her horn and into me. Warmth coasted through my body, quieting my shaking limbs and calming me down substantially. I'll say this; healing magic feels great for both mental and physical wounds._

 _"Thanks Whirlwind," I said. "What happened?"_

 _"If I knew, I'd tell you," she sighed. "I knew going into that thing was a bad idea. If you're ready to get moving, we should get out of here sooner than later. If not, I can carry you."_

 _"I'm good tae go," I said, shakily getting to my feet. I looked back at the gate, standing there as if nothing had ever happened, the circle now refilled with the water symbol stamped in the center. A sense of deep and powerful dread now filled me when I looked at it, one that didn't make sense but didn't need to. All I knew was that I should be very, very afraid of whatever lied behind that gate's walls. Badly shaking, I ran off to join the guys in combat._

* * *

And the real kicker, in my opinion, is that Gill Grunt didn't see or hear anything behind the gate's walls, but he certainly felt something. In his words he sensed, "Anger, fear, but mostly desperation, like something or someone was trying to send a message." Well, he or she or it certainly sent the message loud and clear to me: do not come in! Why it affected me so badly, no one could figure out. We threw up enough theories to fill a book, none that made sense or could really be tested, so the next best option was to just simply avoid them.

That was perfectly fine by me.

"There's the seeds," Stealth Elf said, pointing to a raised dais. There was a small sack in the center of it, drow of all kinds patrolling around the edges and along the ramps. Blade witches, regular witches, spearmen, goliaths, archers, they were all there.

And then I spotted a touch of purple. I froze, looking among the witches again. Not here. Not again. It's too much of a coincidence. But there she was. In the center of the witches stood one who was quite a bit taller than the rest, her skin the color of lavender. Her piercing eyes swept across the tree line, passing directly where I was looking, meeting my eyes. A smile played across her lips and she gave a quick wink in my direction. Instinctively, I tore my face away from the opening.

Malina, head of the Dark Coven and one of the most powerful witches in Skyland's history, was here. _Again._ I knew something was off when we stormed the Stormy Stronghold and the Sky Schooner Docks. A drow witch as powerful and as influential as her should've been there. Now it made sense. She was here instead, gathering the Life Seeds to use for their own nefarious plans, whatever they may be. She might not even be here on Kaos' orders. And worse, she knew exactly where we were.

This is a trap. There's no two ways around it; this is most certainly a trap.

Not much we can do about it either. We need the seeds.

"So, no matter what we do, we're gonna end up fighting a lot of people," Stealth Elf whispered. She was scanning the area below fiercely, darting her eyes around the campsite. Blank slates or not, it is possible to tell. Wood and mage elves actually do have pupils and irises; they're just the same color as the glowing portion of their eye and are really, really hard to pick out if you don't know what you're looking for.

"Pretty much," I replied.

"And there's no chance of backup either," she continued.

"Yep."

"And they most certainly know we're here."

"Aye."

"Well," she said, taking out her daggers. "That's better chances than I'm used to. Here's the plan." She whispered directly into my ear, so quiet that even I had a little trouble making the words out. It was risky, a tad suicidal, and overall one of the most haphazardly pieced together plans I had heard in a long time.

"Sounds good," I replied. In the blink of an eye, Stealth Elf vanished into her stealth mode. I waited in the trees, slowly counting the seconds as I waited for her signal. Tick tock. Tick tock. I got to eight before I heard the first scream. It pierced the otherwise quiet treetops, ringing through the foliage for a split second before it was joined by the sounds of shouting voices and clanging weapons.

I jumped down to the ramp, running down the length of the terraced tree stump. Jumping onto the next, I summoned my skates, twirled down, and skated off. I zipped past confused drow, slashing any I could reach with my blades. Stealth Elf was disappearing into the crowd, cutting in and out as she cut those in her way into ribbons. As she vanished back into stealth mode, she left scarecrows in her way that did some of her work for her, attacking those who didn't have the sense to move away.

"I need tae borrow this," I said to a shocked spearman, grabbing his weapon clean out of his hands. In one smooth motion, I slammed it into the ground and vaulted myself into the air, over the approaching attackers. Summoning my ice, I blasted it into the drow below, freezing a good many where they stood before twirling into a landing. A goliath drow charged me and I slipped between his legs, letting the path of ice behind me do its job. I swiped into another line of drow, making my way towards the witches.

Generally speaking, drow witches aren't particularly accurate with their flying disks. Blade witches are a bit more so. Put about twenty of them in the same place, however, and accuracy doesn't matter. At that point, you're more worried about the mass of sharp, pointy objects flying for your face. Fortunately, they were aiming for a much taller target. I hit the ground, spreading out ice along the surface of the stump. Truthfully, that wouldn't stop the witches, but it would make it a lot easier for me to move. I skated through the hail of flying disks, blasting them with quick shots of ice. Picking up speed, I raced around the edge of the terrace, throwing my knives in quick succession before scooping up a fallen blade and flinging it into the crowd. They responded with a massive amount of deadly projectiles.

"Heads up!" Stealth Elf shouted, flinging a goliath drow onto the terrace. The drow witches scattered as the wood elf ninja jumped down. We met eyes for a split second before we dashed into the crowd of witches. Stealth Elf vanished, using her scarecrows to intercept the majority of the blades while we went to work. Drow stayed far away from the terrace we were on; with blades flying in all directions, it was a miracle we even came out of that alive and bearing only a few cuts. Throwing my knife into the last drow witch, I came face to face with the only one who had the power to put up a full functioning forcefield and maintain it through the onslaught.

Malina floated calmly above the surface of the ice, regarding me with a calm smile across her face. I've always believed that someone who is truly evil and heartless can see and do any manner of cruel and vile things and still smile as if they were just saying hello. Not a creepy murderous smile, but just a friendly, casual, smile. That says a lot about the person behind the face. Her eyes, however, didn't lie. They were cold, hard, and calculating with nothing even resembling love or compassion behind them.

"Well, well, well," she said. "This is an interesting development. How are you, Icicle?"

Remember back when Malina and I first met and I decided against blasting her right from the get go even though I really, really wanted to?

Yeah, there was no restraint this time around.

I immediately flung both of my knives at her chest, skating out of her line of sight. I was not about to repeat my mistake from last time; above all, I needed to keep moving. Malina deflected them with her shield and proceeded to throw several flying disks my way, followed by her signature dark tendrils. Using my ice magic, I froze the tendrils to the ground and dropped low. The disks smashed into the stump behind me, sending little pieces of wood and bark flying. With a wave of her hand, Malina summoned up a strong wind, forming into another cyclone. I wasn't about to let her use that tactic again. Throwing up my ice magic, I froze the largest block of ice I could make in under three seconds, hiding behind it while the winds swept over me.

"I'm impressed," the dark witch purred. "You've improved since the last time we fought."

"Aye," I replied, standing up behind the barrier. "And I'm even more convinced than before that yer bad news. Yer here for the seeds tae give tae Kaos or use 'em fer whatever funky magic ye've got up yer sleeve." The drow witch looked at me, blinked twice, and laughed. She sounded genuinely amused. I didn't get what was so funny.

"You still think I work for Kaos? Darling, not all drow work for him, you know. Oh, sure, we collaborate from time to time, but I prefer to be in charge of my own operations," she said with a smile. I frowned. Well, that answered the question of whether Kaos wanted the Life Seeds or not and gave me a small clue as to what they were trying to do with-

Focus on the problem, idiot! She's trying to distract you. And it's working.

I can't beat her in a magic duel, combat isn't going to work all that well with my fairly short range, and I can almost guarantee that the burst of Gatekeeper energy from before is not going to work in this situation. No good options to go with.

Magic duel it is.

I summoned duel blasts of ice, one for each hand, and threw them at her. Malina intercepted the bolts with a dark blast of her own as I repeatedly attacked her. Twin ice blasts followed by both knives, and a rushing attack, over and over again. With a wave of her hand, she deflected my barrage, but she was getting worn out. Her shields weren't nearly as powerful as before and she was fueling a lot of her magic into offense, not defense. The wind picked up around us, channelling into where Malina floated as she twisted her hands into a complex pattern. A powerful gust of wind slammed into my chest and I was thrown backwards, striking my back against a stump. My vision went cloudy for a split second, but it was long enough to obscure the dark mass heading for me. I threw up a blast barely in time, the two forces colliding in midair.

"What do you hope to accomplish with this, child?" Malina taunted, pouring more power into her attack. "There is no way you can outlast me in a battle of magical will."

"I don't need tae," I replied. "I just needed tae distract ye long enough." Malina's eyes widened to the size of saucers but even she couldn't put up a shield fast enough to stop one of the fastest Skylanders in the world. Stealth Elf's blades slashed into her back, sending up a spray of dark red blood. The drow witch screamed and collapsed to the ground, her attack dissipating into smoke and vanishing in the midday sun. Reappearing next to me, Stealth Elf looked at Malina, a sure smirk on her face if I had been able to see her mouth.

"You should really keep track of everyone you're fighting," Stealth Elf said before glancing at me. "The other drow are yesterday's news. Sorry it took so long."

"Eh, wasn't a big deal," I said.

" **YOU SAID YOU WOULD HOLLER IF YOU NEEDED HELP!** " Jeremy mentally shouted. I winced. Rule number one of telepathic communication: don't yell. It hurts.

" **I said I'd holler if we needed a portal,** " I said back. " **And ye don't need tae yell.** "

" **Same difference,** " he said dismissively. " **I know you guys are more than capable of doing this stuff on your own but the whole purpose of me being a Portal Master is to make your jobs easier.** "

" **I'll keep that in mind fer next time,** " I replied, rolling my eyes a little. " **Besides, those were pretty good odds fer us.** "

" **Just get the seeds back to the Ruins,** " he sighed. " **Apparently they take some time to work.** "

" **They're seeds. Of course it's goin tae take some time fer them tae grow,** " I said. Glancing at Stealth Elf, I nodded my head to the bag of seeds. "Nothin important except get back."

"Sounds good," she said, looking at Malina. "What do we do about her?"

"Don't know," I said before the injured drow witch started to laugh hysterically. She was holding her sides, an evil glint in her eyes as she locked her eyes with me. I instantly saw into the depths of her soul, my eye reading training kicking in when I probably least wanted it. It was a vile, infected place that used to be good long ago but was now tainted with the stain of darkness. Everything was twisted, corrupted, looking like a scene out of a horror film. It reached out, trying to taint me along with it and I barely managed to wrench my gaze away from hers in time.

"So, you're a Gatekeeper," she cackled, getting to her feet. Blood was dripping down her back but she still bore a mad grin on her face. "Oh, I suspected it from the moment I met you, but your eyes gave it away immediately. How interesting it is that the first drowling Skylander happens to be their Gatekeeper as well. Well, Icicle, I hope you don't mind having a short life that no one remembers because that ends up being the fate of all Gatekeepers. They die alone and forgotten!" There was a dark flash, one last cackle, and the witch was gone.

I suddenly felt very, very cold. I felt as if I had been frozen from the inside out, starting at my heart and spreading out towards my limbs, a reverse of what had happened during our banishment. An image flickered across my vision and all I could see was ice and snow in all directions, a large, frozen wasteland with no one except for me.

"Icicle, you okay?" Stealth Elf asked, waving a hand in front of my face. I blinked and the image was gone. Everything was back to normal. I took a long look at my hands, feeling the warmth running through them. What...what was that? A vision perhaps? But of what? What was Malina talking about?

"Er...I'm not sure, Stealthie," I replied, trying to keep myself from shaking. She looked at me long and hard, staring directly into my eyes, her hands on my shoulders.

"She's a drow witch, Ice," the ninja said. "She's gonna say a lot of things that are just twisted lies. Ice, you're a Skylander. You're just as much of one as the rest of us, Gatekeeper or not. You're sure as hell not gonna die alone and I'll be damned if I let anyone forget about you."

"Thanks Stealthie," I said, giving her a weak smile. "We should get the seeds and get goin."

"Yeah, it'd be better not to stay here for much longer," she agreed. The two of us walked towards the large sack of seeds, pretending that all of that didn't just happen. When we approached the Life Seeds, I could feel the strong aura radiating off them, the pure life elemental force reviving me considerably. It was also very, very heavy. Even between the two of us, we were only able to carry it a few feet before Arbo stepped in to help. He was very grateful for our help and couldn't stop expressing his gratitude from both himself and the trees around us. Climbing onto the beanstalk again, we started the long trip down.

Alright, no more guesswork. My enemy now knows more about being a Gatekeeper than I do. I am going to find out exactly what I am. Screw everything, I am going to figure out what I am even if it kills me.

Actually, let's skip the killing. If I don't figure out what's going on, that's what is going to happen.

* * *

Things are getting interesting, hm?

Please review :)


	11. Chapter 10

Hey everyone! Thanks to those who reviewed.

So, this chapter was fun to write for a lot of reasons. It's also the chapter I like to call, "This thing is so confusing that the author doesn't know what's going on."

Keep that in mind while you're reading.

Have fun :)

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

~Icicle

Okay, the more accurate version of 'screw everything' is 'screw everything except for repairing the Core of Light'. That still remains top priority and since things pretty much went to hell in terms of keeping Skylands even remotely functioning, I wasn't able to get anywhere near the archives or library for another eight days. The good news is that we recovered eight more parts to the Core of Light in that time: the Eternal Life Source, the Golden Gear, the Green Primordial Goo, the Eternal Tech Source, the Skull Mask, the Eternal Undead Source, and the Crucible of the Ages. The bad news was that Skylands was growing darker with every second and we were split widely between war zones. Things were going downhill fast.

However, after spending _way_ too much time underground rescuing Molekin and dismantling cave ins with a literal mountain over my head, I was pretty much done with any excuses.

"I'm goin tae the archives an anyone who tries tae send me off on a mission is going tae get a fist in their gut!" I loudly announced to the Skylanders milling around the Core. They looked in my direction, blinked a couple times, then went back to their conversations. Not overly surprising. There weren't many people there who would have wanted to help me anyways. Stealth Elf, Whirlwind, and Cynder were off battling trolls, Flameslinger was recovering from a nasty burn (contrary to popular belief, those of the fire element can be burned), Hex and Whisper Elf weren't even in Skylands yet, Slam Bam was no where to be seen, and Spyro just looked busy.

"Do you want some help?" Hugo asked, walking over to me. "It can get pretty confusing down there and I've been wanting to learn more about Gatekeepers myself."

"Sure," I replied, having secretly hoped that the Mabu would help me. There is no one, and I mean no one, who knows that place better than Hugo. "The more the merrier."

"Then let's get to it," he said, opening the hatch to the tunnels. Yes, I am aware the archives are underground. However, there is a difference between being in something more akin to a very large basement and being in a mine several dozen feet below the surface of the earth. Basements are meant to store things and it's okay to go into them to look for what you need and stay for a little. Mines are cramped and dirty and smelly and dangerous and...well, you get the point.

Still, I'd rather not navigate the tunnels by myself. Death maze, remember?

Hugo led me through the hallways. Since Skylanders are all across the board in terms of height, weight, girth, and shape, most structures in the (now former) Citadel were built tall and wide to make for easier access. The tunnels were no exception. They had surprisingly high ceilings, large doorways and rooms, and they were almost almost always well lit. That's part of the reason I was fine with spending a lot of time in the library, although, it helped that the it had a large balcony area that jutted out from the cliff and over the beach.

"Ah, here we are," Hugo said, coming to a large oaken door. It was elaborately carved with elemental symbols, ancient battle scenes, and beautiful landscapes. With a heave, we pushed it open. Dust flew up in my face, temporarily blinding me and making my eyes water and throat tingle. I coughed a few times, seeing that Hugo was doing the same. When the two of us recovered from the dust storm, we stepped into the archives. Magical lamps lit up as we entered the room, illuminating the floor to ceiling bookshelves along the walls and the tables and chairs in the center. Vaults with large silver doors could be seen towards the back of the room, scattering magical light back in our direction.

"Where should we start?" I asked the Mabu. He set his gear down on one of the tables and looked around at the ancient tomes and scrolls. They looked to be arranged by the year instead of by author or subject. Believe me when I say this, it made sense considering that there were things here from several millennia ago. At that point, author and subject don't matter too much. What matters is that it's still here.

"We'll have to go pretty far back," he said, walking up to one of the bookshelves. "The library has almost nothing on Gatekeepers and there hasn't been one in Skylands since before the time of Master Eon's mentor, and that was more than two hundred years ago. I think they were more common in the past, but we're talking before Nefarion took over."

"So, roughly a really, really lon time ago," I said, pulling up a stepladder. For a solid half hour, we hunted through hundreds of century old documents, looking for even a slight mention of the word 'Gatekeeper.' Anything that did was automatically put into a growing pile on the table. Granted, it wasn't a huge pile, but in this situation, something is always, always better than nothing. I just wish the bookshelves were a lot shorter or that the ladder was taller. Or both. To reach anything near the top shelves, I had to stand on my tip toes or put my rock climbing skills to use and scale the top half of the bookcase.

I am aware that both of those ideas are really, really stupid.

"Need a hand?" someone asked as I desperately tried to reach a green tome. Quickly glancing to my left, I saw Slam Bam standing pretty much at eye level with me. I looked at him for a good five seconds before I realized how idiotic I must've looked, my toes precariously balanced on the edge of a shelf. How he had managed to slip into the archives without being heard escaped me. Yetis do not have the quietest reputation in the world.

"Considerin yer goin tae help me whether I say yay or nay, aye," I replied. With one hand, Slam Bam picked me up, his palm encircling my entire torso, while grabbing the book with another. He handed it to me. I quickly flipped through the pages. Nothing. I handed the book back to Slam Bam and he replaced it, taking the next one down the line. Repeat said processes.

"Any luck, Snowflake?" he asked after what felt like the thousandth scroll. Another of the many, many nicknames the Skylanders had given me. Ice, Icey, Ice Pop, Ice Fairy, Frost Fairy, Frostgirl, Snowgirl, Snowflake, Skater Girl, you get the picture. Basically, if had something relating to snow, ice, or something cold, I was called it. I'm fairly sure there was a competition to see who could create the best nickname without getting smacked in the face. I don't know what they were thinking; I'm fine with it. I love nicknames.

I scanned the scroll, trying to comprehend the ancient runes. You know what would be great? If Gatekeepers could instantly understand foreign languages. Locater map is useful. Instantly know where other Skylanders at all times is useful. Being able to telepathically communicate with Jeremy is very useful. Right now, however, being able to understand languages would be better than all of those. Guess you can't get it all when it comes to mysterious magical powers. I shook my head, rolling it up and setting it back in place.

"Nothin. Well, thanks fer helpin me anyways," I replied, giving him a small smile.

"Anything for my little sis," he said, carefully setting me down.

"Why do ye consider me yer little sister?" I asked. It was something I had been wondering since the day he announced it. Slam Bam was a rough and slightly frosty kind of guy, so it was more than a little strange he warmed up to me so fast. I mean, it was nice he did it for me and it was very much appreciated, but it seemed odd.

"Back when you first joined, you were really shy and didn't speak up for yourself a lot," he said. "My parents taught me to stick up for those who can't do it for themselves. Plus, those of the water element stick together." He chuckled a little. "Looks like you don't need me as an older brother now, though."

"What are ye talkin about?" I asked, completely baffled. "If anythin, I need ye more than ever. Everyone's expectin me tae be this magical powerhouse but I really don't know what I'm doing. I'm only fifteen, fer crying out loud. It's...well it's..."

"It's overwhelming," he finished for me. I nodded my head. Slam Bam smiled, ruffling my hair with one of his large hands.

"Then you can count on me to be there for you," he said. The two of us walked over to the large pile of books and scrolls, completely disorganized and covering the entirety of the table. Slam Bam took one glance at the literary mess before putting a hand behind his head and turning towards the door.

"Where're ye goin?"

"I just remembered Spyro wanted me to help a Mabu village that's been raided a lot within the past couple of days," he said. "Plus, I'd probably end up tearing half the things here anyways. Good luck searching." With that, he pushed the archive doors open and left, the large doors slowly swinging shut.

"He really is like an older brother," I muttered to myself, plopping down into a seat. "When it comes tae homework, he's a complete bastard."

"He's not wrong though," Hugo said as he carried a stack of books taller than himself to the table. With a whump, he set them down and collapsed into a chair as well, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "Okay, let's get to work."

And thus began a massive search through some of the oldest surviving documents in Skylands' history. I can safely say there wasn't much to be found at all. By the time we had read through half of the volumes, the only new information I had was that Gatekeepers tend to appear at a rate of three to one. To clarify, for every three Portal Masters, there is only one Gatekeeper and that Gatekeeper can only bond with one of the Portal Masters. That would explain why they're considered so rare and why there were more in the past: there were more Portal Masters back then. Extremely interesting, but not exactly helpful.

" **Find anything?** " Jeremy asked, his voice popping into my head.

" **Not yet,** " I replied. " **But we're bound tae find somethin.** "

" **Just checking in before I go to bed,** " he said. " **You guys had a pretty rough day.** "

" **At least ye've been able tae send more Skylanders through,** " I reminded him. It was a major cause of celebration when Jeremy made the decision to send through two Skylanders yesterday. The response was so positive, he decided to stick with it today, forgoing a few portals to get more of us home. Still, he didn't send more than two to save energy for emergencies. Between finding the Crucible of the Ages and supporting the Mabu Defense Force, there were more than enough to go around.

" **True enough,** " he laughed. " **I thought you didn't like being underground.** "

" **It's less offensive than flyin,** " I replied. " **And I like books.** "

" **You know, I've been talking with Hex and Whisper Elf and they say that the elven fear of flying stems from the drow,** " Jeremy said. **"Apparently, elves never took to the air element very well, but the original drow absolutely loved it. That's why today's drow are members of the air element. Elves started to fear flying since they ruled the skies for quite a few centuries.** "

" **Ye do realize yer tellin me, the literal definition of a drow, this,** " I deadpanned, flipping through a book written by a Portal Master who had lived approximately five centuries ago. So far, there wasn't much.

" **Heh, right, sorry,** " he sheepishly said. " **Well, I better get going, but I've been wondering. Are you afraid of flying because all elves fear it? Or are you afraid because of what it represents to you? Night.** " There are times that I forget that our Portal Master is only thirteen years old and then there are times when I remember it all too well. There's something just completely off with teenage boys, especially ones that are only a few months in to their most annoying years of their life and who have no respect to people's personal issues.

In no way, shape, or form am I angry at him for bringing up an extremely touchy subject.

Okay, maybe just a little.

"Jeremy was checking in?" Hugo asked, looking up from his reading. I nodded, slamming the tome I was reading shut.

"There's nothin here," I sighed, looking over the piles of documents. "I honestly learned more from Lumina and Atra then here." Too late did I remember that mentioning them might not have been the best idea. They didn't tell me to keep them a secret, but I figured it would be a good idea since, well, they are voices in my head. It's generally a good idea to keep those to yourself.

Hugo's eyes widened and he almost fell backwards out of his seat. He quickly adjusted his glasses, looking at me in shock.

"Did you say Lumina and Atra?" he asked. "As in _the_ Lumina and Atra?"

"What do ye mean?" Were the voices in my head somehow famous?

"Lumina and Atra were the first recorded Gatekeepers in Skylands' history," Hugo said excitedly. "They were twin sisters of the fae, ancestors of today's fairies. They lived at the time of the Elder Elementals and during the reign of the Arkeyans. They were bonded to Arasten, the first of the Portal Masters!"

Well, wasn't expecting that.

Arasten of the Portals was one of our most ancient heroes, or heroines to be precise. She was very young, some say as young as seven, when she first discovered she had the ability to create doorways to other islands across the vast regions of Skylands. Hunted by the Arkeyans because of her unusual powers, she came across the Elder Elementals, a group of powerful warriors who had been resisting the technological overlords. They were impressed by her abilities and they united to overthrow the Arkeyan King. She called her new team, and generations of warriors afterwards, the Skylanders.

Arasten, Tree Rex, Bouncer, Crusher, Swarm, Thumpback, Eye Brawl, Hot Head, and Ninjini. Nine names all those in Skylands know by heart, the nine heroes and heroines who defeated the Arkeyans. Never was anything said about there being two more.

"I didn't know there were more Elder Elementals," I said.

"Not many people do," Hugo replied. "Lumina and Atra are rarely mentioned with the other Elder Elementals in our history books. No one really knows why. Never mind that, though. You've met them?"

"Aye," I said. "Back when I fought Malina fer the first time, a large wave of energy flooded ma body and I heard a voice in ma head. When we got blasted to Earth, I asked fer their help. They appeared in ma head and helped me unlock ma Gatekeeper powers."

"That's incredible!" Hugo exclaimed. "Why didn't you say this earlier? We should've started there! Come on!" With speed that I had never, ever seen from the Mabu before, he leaped out of his seat, grabbed my hand, and dragged me towards the vaults. We passed by several ones with large doors, complicated puzzle locks, and security so tight I was afraid to even breathe on them wrong. Finally, he stopped at a small wooden door, just tall enough for someone my height to pass through. There was nothing fancy about it; it was just a simple, if slightly dusty, door.

"This is one of my favorite places in the entire Citadel," Hugo said, turning the tarnished brass handle. "Most people don't even know it's here." He shoved it open with his shoulder, the sound of scraping wood resonating throughout the archives. Peeking his head into the adjoining room, he blocked my line of sight completely, not letting me even see a glimpse of what was inside. He slipped in, beckoning me to follow. Ducking under the doorframe (how many times have I had to do that in my life?), I stepped into the chamber.

Now, I wasn't expecting much. Even Hugo's statement about this being one of his favorite places didn't make me feel absolutely bursting with anticipation. After all, from the outside, it looked like a broom closet.

I was absolutely floored from the second I stepped through the door.

The room was in the shape of a large hendecagon, that's an eleven sided polygon by the way, the ceiling vaulted so high that I could've sworn we had to have been outside. Everything was made out of beautiful honey gold stone, ancient lamps set into the walls and glowing in the colors of the elements. Set into the floor were large panels of colored marble and precious gems, many that were incredibly rare even in the most bountiful of mines. In little cut outs along the walls laid small journals and other strange trinkets, free of dust despite their obvious disuse.

However, all these marvels were dwarfed by the paintings along the walls. Full body portraits of the Elder Elementals themselves were painted onto the sides of the hendecagon. There was Tree Rex, the tree born giant and the first leader of the Skylanders, Bouncer, the robotic Roboto Ball player, Crusher, the rock golem, Swarm, the insectoid warrior, Thumpback, the pirate whale, Eye-Brawl, the mash up of the headless giant and the flying eyeball, Hot Head, the living fire golem, and Ninjini, the greatest of all elven warriors. On the walls directly next to the door were Lumina and Atra, looking exactly as they did in my mind: Lumina dressed in white and gold, Atra in blue and black, both sporting beautiful wings.

And directly above the door was Arasten herself. She was a human female with deep brown eyes and pale skin, goggles fastened tightly around her short black hair. I suppose the most accurate description of her clothing would be 'steampunk' as was common in those days. Around her skinny frame, she sported a bright yellow shirt, a brown jacket and tan pants, combat boots on her feet. Her belt was loaded with tools and pouches of all kinds and she held the schematics of a ship in her left hand.

Never judge a book by its cover, kids.

"What did I say?" Hugo said, grinning widely. "This is where the first hand accounts of the Elder Elementals and Arasten are kept. Icicle, we're talking their journals and diaries from over ten thousand years ago!"

"How...how do people not know this place exists?" I whispered, looking around the room again. It just wasn't possible that something so incredible could be a secret.

"This room is special," he replied. "It's only able to be found by people it wants."

"Ye mean, this place is alive?" I asked, looking at the walls again. Now that he had mentioned it, I could definitely feel something around me. It was friendly and very old, a guardian spirit of sorts. That made sense. Whoever had built this shrine wanted it to be protected and only those who the spirit deemed worthy would be allowed to find it and use the information within. Hugo must have been asking it if it was okay for me to enter.

"Alive or not, this room holds some of Skylands' greatest secrets," the Mabu reminded me. "You have to promise that you won't tell anyone about this. Otherwise, well, let's just say it's not going to be pretty." I shuttered a little, imagining what the spirit would do if the wrong person found out about this place. Spirits become ridiculously strong when they've been around for thousands of years and this particular spirit felt ancient, as in, back when these guys were alive ancient. It's best to keep beings like that happy.

"I promise."

"Then let's get to it," he said, going to a stone shelf by the door and removing a small journal. Not just any journal, though. It was Arasten's journal, a simple leather bound book with the Shattering Sigil drawn on the front cover. Hugo handled it gingerly, holding it as if it was a precious child. Going up to Lumina's portrait, I carefully picked up a large tome from another stone shelf. The outside cover was pale yellow and kind of soft, as if it had been made of cloth. Nothing happened when I touched it. No buzzing, no siren, no wave of magic. Nothing. It was just a journal, albeit a really, really, old and important one. I repeated the process again, picking up Atra's diary next. It was smaller than Lumina's, but considerably thicker, and the cover was made of a dark grey skin. I didn't want to think too hard about what it could be. Setting the tomes on a stone bench, I began to read.

And read. And read. And read.

There was so much information that I don't even know where to begin. Some of it was on Gatekeepers, some of it was on the Arkeyans, but the majority was about the other Elder Elementals and Arasten. Just reading the accounts of their daily routines gave me a new perspective on them. They weren't so different than the rest of us. They were real people with lives, families, hobbies, and fears. They fought, partied, and worked their asses off so that the future generations wouldn't be forced to serve under subjugation like they had to. They wanted us to be free. They fought for Skylands. They were Skylanders just like me, Spyro, Stealth Elf, Flameslinger, Slam Bam, Hex, and even little Whisper Elf.

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, after all.

"Check this out," I said to Hugo. He looked over my shoulder, reading the text on the diary's thin pages. "Atra's diary explains how dominate and dormant magic work."

"Really?" he asked, scanning the page.

"Aye," I replied. "She explains it like this. You have two pools of magic, one that's pretty big and one that's kinda small. The big one is yer dominate element and that one is always refillin just by walkin around and doin stuff. The small one is yer dormant elements, the ones that ye don't use except when ye really need it and the pool refills at dawn. Turns out the dormant stuff gets snatched up by Portal Masters whenever someone goes through their portals."

"I get it," Hugo said. "Portal Masters use the dormant elemental power to grow their own stores of magic, but they can only obtain it when others travel through portals. You, on the other hand, are always connected to Jeremy so you're always giving him more power, or at least until your dormant magic runs out."

"It gets better too," I added. "Normally, magic flows one way, dormant tae dominate. But Gatekeepers can make it go the other way, dominate tae dormant, by basically flippin a mental switch and convertin elemental magic intae energy. And if Portal Masters are castin spells..."

"You can give an inexperienced Portal Master enough power to cast spells that only a high level sorcerer could use!" Hugo finished excitedly. "That's what Arasten was talking about. Her journal entries talked about casting extremely difficult spells and enchantments but at the time of this writing, she could've only been about your age, Icicle."

"A fifteen year old girl leadin the first Skylanders?" I exclaimed.

"That's a pretty common assumption," he said, chuckling a little. "Imagine how the Arkeyans must have felt, their empire, which had stood for thousands of years, struck down by a female human teenager. Not many people were willing to mess with her after that battle."

"Did she favor the Tech Element by any chance?" I further inquired, glancing back up to her portrait. By the way she was dressed, she looked about ready to hop into a pilot's chair and race airplanes across the skies. Taking a second glance at her face, she did look pretty young. Then again, I've never been able to judge human age all that well.

"It's always been hinted at that she did," Hudo replied. "Even Portal Masters have a favorite element, after all. Master Eon always liked air the best, but you didn't hear that from me. What do you think Jeremy's favorite element is?"

"Magic," I immediately said. The two of us laughed before resuming our reading. It was pretty obvious. The kid is from Earth and considers pretty much everything we do incredible. Magic is the element of the unknown and unexpected. It flows through us all and it's what makes Skylands so amazing. It's ever changing and can't always be explained, like how Jeremy had found us, how he was born with the abilities of a Portal Master, and how I was born a Gatekeeper. They can't be explained. There's no reason to it. But that's okay.

On the other hand, there are some things that need explaining. Like what my powers can do. And if there was a recipe for whatever dark lemonberry fudge is because that's now been mentioned seventeen times in Lumina's journal, it sounds really good, and I'm hungry.

Even though I had only really met them once, and that was in my head, I felt like I knew the two Gatekeepers personally. I was learning so much from their journals, it was hard to believe I'd ever known so little beforehand. It also made me very grateful I even had these. Lumina and Atra literally had nothing to go off of and they had managed to figure out all of this on their own. Granted, they were also older than me, had a lot of training in the magical arts, and probably had more than three weeks to figure everything out.

As I got further into the journals, more and more of the entries were devoted to explaining the massively complicated spells Arasten was casting and missions to defeat the Arkeyans. There were all sorts of charts that explained the conversions between dominate elemental magic and dormant energy Portal Masters could use and layouts of Arkeyan strongholds. It was clear things were getting serious. The first Portal Master was performing some major magical workings, from far vision to creating the first permanent portals, all without really knowing what she was doing. According to an entry in Atra's diary, Arasten was going to attempt to make the Elder Elementals temporarily taller in hopes they would stand a fighting chance against the Arkeyan King and his armies. Now we were getting into history I knew. Hunched over in anticipation, I turned the page.

It was blank.

I quickly picked up Lumina's journal, reading the entry for the same day. The next day wasn't written down either.

A sinking feeling settled in my stomach.

"Icicle," Hugo said, his voice trembling. "You should read this." I looked over his shoulder, my eyes scanning the page. It was hastily written in Arasten's loopy, complicated writing style, but I could still read it. So I did.

And read it again.

And a third time.

Even after that, I couldn't believe what I was reading.

Hugo and I met each others's eyes, neither of us blinking for several seconds, before furiously returning to reading. For what felt like an endless amount of time, we poured over the remainders of Arasten's first journal, then the ones after it, our disbelief, shock, and horror growing with every turn of the page. In and out of the secret room we ran, grabbing personal documents from Portal Masters across the centuries, cross checking everything from diaries to official deeds. Eventually, the two of us admitted defeat, setting down the materials we had been reading.

"So that's what Malina meant," I muttered, rolling up another scroll.

"What do we do?" Hugo asked. "What can we do? We can't say we learned nothing because they'll know we're lying. We can't tell them this or they'll go ballistic. We can't even just tell Jeremy or Master Eon. They'll never allow it."

"Hugo," I slowly asked. "How many parts are left until the Core is restored?"

"Three," he immediately said. "The Eternal Fire Source, the Quicksilver, and the Eternal Magic Source."

"And how many days until everythin spirals out of control?"

"Well, it's already tomorrow," Hugo said, looking at his watch. It showed a time that basically amounted to 'what god forsaken hour is this?' "My guess is that we have until noon on Saturday before things start really getting out of hand."

"So, we have two and a half days tae find three parts tae the Core," I said, thinking hard. "Even after that, we still have Kaos tae defeat and we'll need everyone fer that."

"Icicle, it's impossible," Hugo said. "There are still eighteen more Skylanders that need to get back, including the Sidekicks. Even if Jeremy were to only send them through for the next three days, we couldn't get them all back and we'd have no portals to use at all. If we try and use the energy transfer...well...you know what'll happen."

I was scared. Terrified. I was past the point of shaking. Now I was just sitting with my thoughts. What can I do? What should I do? I have the chance to do something but at what cost? I don't want to do this. I just wanted to run and never, ever come back. I didn't want this. I never asked to be born a Gatekeeper.

But I chose to accept its power. I chose to become a Skylander. I chose to protect Skylands and its people whenever I get that feeling in my stomach that evil is being done and someone's gotta stop it. I've been running my whole life, away from people, away from relationships, away from my problems, away from my potential. I never want to confront them because I'm afraid of what people will think.

Well, not anymore, damnit. I'm sick and tired of being afraid. What was it the elder of my village said? Bravery is when the fear of doing something overpowers the fear of doing nothing. More than anything right now, I'm afraid of doing nothing. I can't do nothing. I won't do nothing. So, that means I have to do something.

And that means I have to go through with this.

"This is what we'll say," I finally said. "We tell 'em about the energy transfer, but _just_ the energy transfer. We tell 'em how many days we have and that we'll need everyone tae defeat Kaos." I took a deep breath. "And then we tell 'em that the Darkness is suppressin ma power and Jeremy's ability so that he can't cast as many spells. However, when the Core is restored, we'll have enough power tae send everyone through without any problems."

"What!?" Hugo exclaimed. "Icicle, that's...that's..."

"I know what it is," I said. "It's ma choice, though."

"You can't," Hugo stated. "I'm not going to let you do this. It's not just a bad idea, If you go through with this, you're going to-"

"I know what's goin tae happen!" I shouted. I know it's rude to interrupt but I just didn't care at that point. "I don't want tae do this either but what choice do I have? We need all the Skylanders back tae defeat Kaos. Ye saw that hydra. There's no way we can beat it without everyone. I have the ability tae bring everyone home, Hugo."

"There has to be another way," he pleaded. "You're a Skylander too. We'll figure something out. You can't just-"

"Hugo, if ye had a way tae fix all the problems that we've been facin fer the past few weeks, would ye do it?" I asked. He didn't say anything for a long time.

"It's not fair."

"I know."

"It's not right."

"I know."

"They're gonna be angry."

"Tell them what ye will after it happens, but promise me ye won't tell anyone about it until then. Not a word. They can't know."

"If I was a good friend, I'd say you're insane and I'd tell the first person who would listen."

"Aye, probably."

"...I promise."

* * *

Yes, I basically just wrote a crap ton about Skylands' history.

And yes, I am that evil.

Please review :)


	12. Chapter 11

Hey guys!

(Yes, I know I'm late. Sorry)

And this chapter is of reasonable length this time.

I don't own Skylanders.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

~Hex

Never again will I take something as simple as walking for granted. Being frozen into an immobile stature is a fate I would not wish upon my worst enemy. Well, depending on who it is, I just might. You never know. It would certainly be a fitting revenge to curse Kaos with the same affliction that he forced us to bear. Cruel, yes, but fitting.

It is my opinion that the undead took being frozen the worst, although not for reasons that are exactly obvious. It has been many, many years since I have had the need to eat, sleep, breathe even, so I didn't have the burning urge to return quickly to perform those tasks. No, the thing that bothered me, and my fellow undead, the most would have to be limited mobility. The point of being undead is that we have refused to accept that death is the end; it is simply another stop on the journey of our existence. We enjoy the same things as those who are alive and sometimes we covet them even more closely than those who still live. To be unable to move, to have one of the few things we can still do the same as when we lived taken away, that is what truly struck us as unnecessarily cruel about our banishment.

To be able to move again was truly a blessing. If I didn't have a reputation to uphold, I would've hugged every single one of my friends the moment I returned to Skylands. Instead, I wandered down to the beach and spent a few minutes at the entrance to the crypts, surrounding myself with the ghosts of the past. It was calming and quite peaceful to be alone. As interesting as the Skylanders are, being together for prolonged periods of time can test even the strongest bonds of friendship, and I prefer to be alone on even the best of days.

"Hex, come on!" Stealth Elf shouted, running towards the edge of the water. A crowd of Skylanders were at her tail. "We're leaving soon!"

No rest for the undead, it seems.

I suppose I should've expected that we would be in a bit of a hurry. We had exactly twenty-eight hours to find the Quicksilver and the Eternal Magic Source. Everyone had hoped that there would've been some progress made yesterday or overnight to secure at least one of the artifacts, but the battle with Kaos over the Eternal Fire Source had taken its toll; there were many that were injured and far too few left standing to start any earlier than eight o'clock in the morning. Hugo sent out a message that we would be unable to take any new requests for several days, leaving us to heal and strengthen without fear of interruption. We were essentially going to war.

The plan was simple enough. There were enough Skylanders present, twenty seven since our new Portal Master decided to send three yesterday and three this morning, that we could safely divide our forces into two groups. Thirteen of us would go to the Quicksilver Vault to obtain the Quicksilver and the other thirteen, most of whom were still recovering from wounds, would hunt for the Eternal Magic Source in the Arkeyan Armory the second we got back. Icicle would be accompanying both groups to help speed up the process of finding the parts. It made sense. It was not favorable to her, perhaps, but the little elf was more than willing to go along with the plan.

"Alright, here's what we're gonna do," Gill Grunt said as I approached the group. "We go in, we get the Quicksilver, and we get out as fast as possible. There's gonna be Arkeyan defense robots all over the place and we don't have a lot of time or people to spare. You guys all know what to do when we get there. If we're all good, let's get going." Two or three at a time, we boarded the little raft to the small island where Weapon Master had slept for almost ten thousand years. Even more cautiously, we crossed onto the chain that connected our island to the Quicksilver Vault several miles below.

It was a rather eventful trip to say the least.

"I hate this...I hate this..." Icicle muttered as she slowly put one foot in front of the other. "I wish Jeremy could transport us tae places he's never been tae before." The chain was slowly swaying in the wind and she was not the only Skylander to have precarious footing. Truthfully, she was probably the most surefooted, her center of gravity being somewhat lower than the rest of ours. Of course, actually telling her would prove a bad idea as well. It would cause her to loose confidence, something that could prove fatal here. Not for the first time I considered teaching her how to levitate.

"Flameslinger, take off that thing before you fall to your death!" Stealth Elf said to the blindfolded archer. True to his nature, he hadn't taken off the strip of cloth around his eyes once since he returned to Skylands, or, at least, none of us had seen him remove it. He turned back to face us and smiled widely, flashing his pearly white teeth in her direction.

"Worried, ma cherie?" he teasingly asked. "Relax. I know what I am doing."

"That's what I'm worried about," Stealth Elf said. "And if we weren't two feet away from falling into open air, I would smack your prissy little behind back to Earth."

"I love you too," he said with a lighthearted lift in his voice. The ninja didn't say anything, her ears perked up and her body tense. I could only see her back but I had been that age once upon a time. Deny it all she might, it was clear she had feelings for the archer. Everyone reacts differently to being in love. Some, such as Icicle, blush a deep red and stutter helplessly. Some become immensely happy and cannot be brought down by any godly force in this world. Stealth Elf apparently becomes quite angry and violent when her feelings are brought to the light of day.

As for me? Use your imagination.

Finally, we all crossed onto the island that held the entrance to the Quicksilver Vault. It was unlike any place I had seen in a very long time. Built of a dark blue stone and shadowed from the sun, the area was only lit by glowing blue rivers flowing between the constructs. Tendrils of turquoise energy crawled up the rocks, contrasting the iron wrought structures melded into the ground and walls. The place was positively buzzing with magic but it felt very empty. Not even spirits of the ancient Arkeyans roamed here, driven off by the memories of the fallen and the desolation of the complex.

"Teams, split up!" Gill Grunt shouted as the Arkeyan defenses slowly awakened from their slumber. Immediately, the Skylanders broke off into their pre-determined groups and rushed towards the entrance to the vault. Cynder, Whirlwind, and Sonic Boom took to the skies, circling around the complex and providing support from the air. Voodood, Eruptor, and Wham Shell charged ahead, using their uncannily strength to smash through centuries of fallen debris. Gill Grunt, Boomer, and Dino Rang followed closely behind, picking off the machines from afar, leaving Icicle, Stealth Elf, Flameslinger, and myself standing together as the sounds of battle filled the air. Yes, all the elven Skylanders had been put together into one team on the grounds that we worked very well together. That may be true, but all of us suspected it was done for the sole purpose of calling us Team Elf. The jokes did not help alleviate our suspicions whatsoever.

"Tasking us with finding a way to open the vault," Stealth Elf said with a snort. "Who's bright idea was that?"

"I think it was Spyro's," Icicle offered, peering down into a well of glowing blue liquid. "It sorta makes sense. We all have different strengths an we're good at solvin problems."

"I mean deciding to make a 'Team Elf'" Stealth Elf said, rolling her eyes. "This is literally one of the most important missions we've been sent on in Skylander history and they pull this. Real professional."

"Lighten up a little, Stealth Elf," Flameslinger said. "It is just for a little fun. Being serious all ze time makes for dull Skylanders."

"It's not funny when you're the joke," she muttered.

"Should we get goin?" Icicle piped up. "We're supposed tae be in an out pretty fast."

"Probably," the ninja said, drawing her dragonfang daggers. "Let's go." With a fair bit of haste, we made our way down the stone walkways, passing by statues and other archaic sculptures carved into the crumbling walls. They were all illuminated with the same ghostly electric blue substance, magic in its rawest form if I was remembering my childhood lessons correctly. The sounds of battle could be heard off to the east, our fellow teammates engaged in combat with the Arkeyan machines.

"I don't know about ze rest of you, but I am happy to be working togezer again," Flameslinger commented, kicking an old piece of pottery out of the way.

"For once, I'm actually going to agree with you," Stealth Elf said, clearing some cobwebs out of our path. "How long has it been since all of us have been able to work together?"

"Eleven months, three weeks, and four days," I answered, the duty of remembering exact dates once again falling to me. "I believe that was during the Battle of Mossy Peak." Flameslinger and Stealth Elf chuckled in unison and even I managed a small smile at the memory. Icicle tilted her head slightly, her expression confused and her eyes troubled.

"Is this one of those thins I'd be better off not knowin about?" she inquired, moving some of the smaller rocks and pots out of the way. Casting a small spell, I levitated the larger boulders to a small alcove on the side, sparing the others from too much heavy lifting.

"Not really, but it's a long story, too long to tell here," Stealth Elf replied, slashing through the last of the spiderwebs. "Remind me to tell you about it when we finally have time."

"Ah, zat was a good day," Flameslinger sighed as we continued down the path. "Zat was ze first mission we went on wiz Whisper Elf, no? And 'er face when we asked 'er if she wanted to join our little family? Priceless!"

"Birch bane!" Stealth Elf swore, using one of the more bizarre wood elf curses in the dictionary. "We never did the rite with Ice." Said half-frost elf blinked a few times before raising an eyebrow.

"A rite, ye mean, like a brotherhood sisterhood kind of rite?" she asked, having most likely come to this conclusion by Flameslinger's mention of the word family. Stealth Elf nodded, spinning one of her daggers in a causal manner.

"Yep," she said. "I was the first elf to join the Skylanders. When Hex became a member, I got assigned to a bunch of missions with her since, sorry Hex, no one really wanted to pair up with you."

"No need to apologize," I replied. "You cannot help what is true." One of the consequences of being an undead sorceress who occasionally delves into dark magic is that most people tend to not trust you all that much. The number of Skylanders in general was fewer back then and even the Undead Skylanders that were there did not always enjoy my company. Chop Chop found me to be somewhat morally questionable and Cynder was trying to forget her connection to the undead dragon king. Stealth Elf was one of the few who accepted me for who I was, if originally so on request of Eon. I was more grateful than I could express in words but she knew that. She has good instincts and can read even someone like me as easily as if I was an open book.

"So," she continued, "We became close as time went on, but it wasn't until Flameslinger joined that we decided that it might be a good idea to do the rite of brotherhood and sisterhood. There's no real explanation for why we chose to do it; it just kind of made sense. Long story short, we did the rite, Whisper Elf did too when she joined, and yeah. How could we have forgotten? Collectively!?"

"We haven't been in ze same general area too much?" Flameslinger supplied. "Everyzing went to 'ell after she joined? We were blasted out of Skylands? We 'ave been trying to stop Kaos from-"

"I get it," she snapped. "Well, I guess we could do the impromptu version right now."

"What about Whisper Elf?" Icicle asked. "She needs tae be here too."

"Like I said, impromptu," Stealth Elf answered. "So, wanna join our family?" There wasn't even a split second of hesitation.

"Of course!" Icicle exclaimed. "I mean, yer basically ma family already, so it's not goin tae be that much different." She had a wide grin spread across her face, showing her small, delicate teeth.

"True that," Steath Elf replied, clapping the smaller elf on the back. "Well, we should probably get on with opening the vault."

"Agreed," I said. As the sounds of ancient blasters filled the air, followed by the battle cries of our fellow Skylanders, we scoured the entrance to the vault for a way to open the large iron wrought gates. Teleporter pads were scattered across the brick pathways, transporting whomever stepped upon them to small islands surrounding the complex. The four of us picked a pad at random, sending wishes of luck before stepping on them. Mine ended up shooting me into the midst of a group of magic spell punks.

I greatly dislike spell punks, especially when they decide to attack for no good reason whatsoever.

Summoning a phantom orb, I tore into the group of spell punks, blasting them away with a flick of my wrist. They swiftly recovered and pooled their magic together, animating small orbs that electrocuted those who got too close. Looking to the earth far beneath me, I raised up a wall of bones, shielding myself from attack while I prepared my spell. Moving my hands in a circle, I chanted in the language of the sorcerers, a complex and strange tongue that could take decades before even the most talented could pronounce words correctly. Around me, skulls started to form. My chanting got louder and louder until the magic within me was about to burst. With the final word of the spell, I cast the skulls up into the sky. They slammed into the spell punks with calculated precision, causing them to burst into swirls of elemental power.

I may be the protecter of magic users but no one attacks me and comes out of it alive, spell punk, sorcerer, wizard, mage, or witch.

" **Flameslinger found the vault's key,** " Jeremy announced into my head. As useful as the ability for our new Portal Master to communicate with us mentally was, many of us considered it a bit on the strange side. Telepathy is not strange; it can be extremely useful in the correct circumstances. What makes it strange is the frequency he used it at. Eon rarely, if ever, contacted us with telepathy, normally choosing to observe and intervene only when we requested his assistance. Our new Portal Master was far more active in aiding us. The enthusiasm of youth is always a treat.

Traveling through the teleporter pad once more, I floated over to the large gates as the Skylanders started to gather, still engaged in combat with the Arkeyan robots. Behind them was a long and thick chain connecting the island below to several larger ones above. The vault itself was a structure of immense proportions, spires stretching to the sky and turquoise energy weaving between the cracks in the foundation. A large statue stood in the center of complex, large, foreboding, and sporting three glowing orbs, giving off a beautiful blue light. Flameslinger flung open the gates and one by one, we slid down the chain and into the vault itself.

I will say this about the Arkeyans; while they may have ruled Skylands with an iron fist for thousands of years and profiting off of free labor, they certainly knew how to create machines that withstood the test of time and still functioned as well as the day they were made. That is incredibly fortunate for them. For us, it was incredibly dangerous and rather unlucky. Through hoards of Arkeyan defense robots, blasters, and ultrons we fought, pushing reflector crystals into place to line up the magical beams that would break the seals.

Accomplishing this feat was rather interesting.

"Get the blocks out of the way!" Wham Shell shouted, slamming his mace into another robot. Very large slabs of stone, most likely placed to distort and confuse, were randomly placed around the reflector crystals. They were large, very heavy, and overall a complete nuisance.

"Can't you just smash it to bits?" Cynder annoyedly asked, frying another defender's circuits as she swooped down from the air.

"I'm strong but I'm no Elder Elemental," he replied, pushing the large stone out of the way with his shoulder. "I can't just pick up a bolder or a giant block of building stone whenever I want to." With careful precision, I moved the reflector crystals into place, the purple magical beam bouncing between them and onto one of the glowing blue seals located in the center statue, the other two beams joining within the next couple of minutes. The statue separated into three separate structures, pulled apart by the force of the magic, revealing a potion vial with runes painted onto the sides.

"We got it!" the royal crustacean shouted, riding the length of chain to the main vault as if it was a surfboard. The Skylanders converged on the vial of Quicksilver, still in combat with a seemingly endless amount of machines. Without a single order, we formed a protective circle around the precious magical substance, fighting off a seemingly endless number of Arkeyan technology.

"Where are all of these things coming from!?" Eruptor shouted, lobbing a ball of lava into the oncoming attackers.

"Don't know, don't care!" Boomer replied as he threw a stick of dynamite, blowing a group of spell punks into oblivion.

"Gill," Whirlwind shouted as she electrocuted a group of ultrons. "You better have a better way of getting us back than that chain because even those of us that can fly can't get out of range of these things fast enough."

"Portal! Now!" several people shouted skyward. There was a long pause where the only sound was the continued clash of steel upon steel and the clang of mechanical defenders falling to the ground, no Skylander daring to let out even the smallest of verbal noises.

"Somethin's not right!" Icicle shouted. "He's tryin tae make a portal but somethin keeps blockin him! He's usin up a lot of energy and nothin's workin!"

"Something blocking a portal?" Sonic Boom asked as she and her babies fired off supersonic waves. "I didn't think that was possible."

"It's the Arkeyans," Dino-Rang grunted. "They made the impossible happen. Something like this was probably a piece of cake."

"Now what are we supposed to do?" Flameslinger asked as he fired off arrows from his seemingly limitless supply lodged in his quiver. He adjusted his foot, presumably for better aim, when the stone beneath his foot sank into the ground. There was an audible click and the ground started to rumble, knocking several people off balance.

"FLAMESLINGER, WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

"Why is everyzing my fault!?" the blindfolded archer indignantly exclaimed. Everyone was tense and darting their eyes around the complex, waiting for the floor to fall in or for a mechanized weapon of destruction to burst forth from the ground. Generally speaking, that is what happens when someone steps on a hidden pressure plate. Instead, a short ways to our right, a large slab of stone slid out of the way to reveal what I can best describe as an ancient battleship. It wasn't overly large but had an open deck, several pieces of weaponry along the sides, and some of the largest wings I had seen on an aircraft in a very long while. Everything stopped for a few seconds while we all stared at the ship, robots and all.

"Anyone here know how to pilot a ship?" Gill Grunt finally said, breaking the silence.

"Nope," the three winged females said in unison for rather obvious reasons.

"Sorry," Wham Shell said. Voodood grunted in what I assumed was a no and Eruptor belched rather loudly in a similar fashion.

"I'm better at blowing them up," Boomer confessed.

"Do I look like I can drive that thing?" Dino-Rang pointedly asked.

"Heeeeell no," the three (at least partially) wood elves said, drawing out the curse word. Everyone glanced in my direction, hope and desperation glittering behind their eyes. I responded with a slight glare. My understanding of machines is incredibly limited. There are reasons I chose the magic element, and later the undead element, as my dominate. To me, and to many magic users, it simply makes more sense than a pile of oily metal.

"Guess I'm driving then," Gill Grunt said, several people cringing at the thought. Even I had to admit that this would probably end in disaster. The second the syllable escaped his mouth, the spell was broken and the robots resumed their attack, swarming us with even more furiosity than before. Icicle grabbed the ancient relic and we converged onto the ship, leaping on to the deck. Those of us who possessed long range attacks took our places while the rest rushed towards the cannons and mounted machine guns. Gill Grunt jumped into the driver's seat, took a few glances at the controls, and pulled the first lever he laid eyes on. There was a slight hum and the battleship lifted off the ground, just slightly hovering, before shooting into the sky.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" the Gillman shouted as we flew away from the vault. The machine guns started firing almost immediately, cutting into the onslaught of defenders, while the more powerful ones met their demise at the hands of cannons. The robots let up on their attacks as we flew away at what felt akin to warp speed. For laying dormant for thousands of years, the airship was ridiculously fast, covering miles in a manner of seconds. I was not overly bothered with being airborne, my half-drow heritage having a slight calming effect.

The other three elves, by contrast, were huddled together and gripping the railing along the sides of the ship for dear life, the Quicksilver having suspended itself in midair once more.

We came to a hovering stop at the Ruins, our other teammates looking at us in what amounted to utter shock as we disembarked. The sky had darkened considerably while we were out to the point I thought that it must be almost sunset. Clouds now covered the sky, dark and foreboding as they towered above the islands. I thought it was a rather nice touch to the normally harsh daylight, but at the same time, I knew it wasn't right. Skylands is a place of life and light, with dark places strewn across our world, but Darkness is something that should never have a firm grip on the world that we call home.

"We got the Quicksilver!" Gill Grunt announced, walking it over to the Core of Light. The vial floated out of his hands, transforming into a small sphere of silver light as it neared the structure. It melted into the Core, illuminating hidden runes along the surface of the machine as it integrated with the ancient machinery. A wave of magic flooded over the area and I basked in its rejuvenating warmth. One piece of the puzzle left remaining, the Eternal Magic Source.

"Where have you guys been?" Spyro asked as he walked over. There was a slight tinge of anger to a genuinely concerned voice. "You've been gone for almost thirteen hours." Thirteen hours? It simply could not be possible. Those who were not undead would have collapsed from lack of food and water at the rate we were fighting. The impact of the news was played across every single one of our faces.

"That's impossible," Gill Grunt said, shock playing across his face this time. "I had one of Drobot's watches. They're never wrong. We were in and out in less than three."

"Something was really off with that place," our young Portal Master said, his holographic form appearing in front of the Core. "Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion when I was watching and it kept fizzing out every so often."

"Maybe it's just me," Icicle began, her voice more confident than usual. "But didn't the Weapon Master call the chain we were walkin on the chain of time?"

"Shit!" Spyro swore, taking several of us aback. Spyro is the picture of a calm, collected, no nonsense leader, especially as of late, who absolutely never uses profanity even in the most dire of situations. I had personally never heard him swear. "The vault must've had a completely different rate of time passage. What felt like a few hours to you, and actually was a few hours there, was more than half a day here."

"That's why ye couldn't use portals," Icicle exclaimed as she looked to Jeremy. "Portals though time are almost impossible tae create, whether it's tae the past, future, or a place where it moves strangely."

"Guys," Camo said, panic rising in his voice. "It's almost nine o'clock."

"We only have until noon tomorrow," Hugo said, his tone worried and low.

"What are we waiting for?" Spyro demanded. "If the Arkeyan Armory is anything like that vault, we don't have a minute to waste. We're taking the airship. Be ready if we call for backup. Skylanders, let's do this." The second team hopped onboard the ship, Icicle catching a lift from the yeti as they swarmed onto the deck. "Can anyone here drive? Besides Flynn?"

"Spyro, there are only six people here with hands and Slam Bam and Trigg can't fit in the chair," Sunburn replied.

"Chop Chop?"

"I was built by Arkeyan hands to fight, not to pilot."

"Double Trouble?"

"Magic and tech mixed for them. Not for me."

"Terrafin? I know that landshark pilots are some of the best out there."

"Spyro, the landsharks that are live in the Desert Archipelago and I ain't from the Cloudbreak Islands."

There was a very long pause.

"Icicle?"

There was an even longer pause.

"...I've driven a snowmobile a few times..." she managed to squeak out, trembling like a leaf in a fierce gale.

"Good enough. You're driving," Spyro said. Icicle looked back at us, her eyes wider than I had ever seen them before. She gave us a shaky smile before going over to the control panel and out of my line of sight. There was a sputter, some shouting, and some very colorful curse words from the ship before it floated higher into the sky and swooped towards the armory. They were out of sight in less than a minute, leaving the Ruins quiet and still for a few precious moments.

But only a few. Before the conversation started up again, I found myself wandering back down to the beach and resting near the entrance to the crypts once more. Now more than ever, I needed some time to myself and with night falling, creatures of the night would be more active. Opening the doors, I crossed my legs and floated, holding myself in meditation while ghosts and spirits once again flowed over my body and to what was left of my soul. The undead are interesting in that respect. Some of us require souls to continue our unlife, others are born into death and never require one. I had been born, I was alive, and now I was undead. While tainted, it was still mine, still the same soul deep down that had been there since the time I took my first breath.

"What news do you have for me?" I asked the ghosts, listening to their whispers. Their messages were dark and gruesome, haunting and teasing at something to come. They spoke of tragedy and sacrifice, of loss and anger. Not unusual from those who still straddled the border between life, unlife, and death. Then, from their whispers, a repeated message started to form, thrown from their raspy voices and echoey tones.

 _Beware the halfling Gatekeeper girl. She hides many secrets and lets few unfurl. The bond she shares soon will unwind. A fate worse than death like the rest of her kind._

Their message delivered, they once again dispersed, leaving me truly alone with my thoughts. Ghosts, spirits, phantoms, specters, revenants, shades, whatever name they go by, very few truly become powerful enough to send a clear message or manifest in our world. Whispers are easy, feelings are as well. A warning in rhyming verse, however, that is a message from someone far more powerful than the average ghost can say alone. A very powerful entity had sent them to deliver something meant for specific ears. That in of itself was alarming. The messaged itself was even more so. It was a warning, but for whom?

To the Skylanders, to warn them about their coworker?

To Jeremy, to protect him from the shared bond between them?

To Icicle, to keep her from going down the path of no return?

To all three?

Or perhaps it was meant for my ears and for me to decide who received it. I closed my eyes, blocking out all distractions. Team Elf was created as a joke but we truly were good at solving riddles and I had been presented with a truly haunting one. Before anyone could be told the message from the underworld, its meaning had to be deciphered, quickly and correctly. If not, it seemed there would be several lives on the line at the very least. I am not alive and cannot claim to be so anymore, not with my shallow parody of an existence that has very little meaning anymore. But that doesn't mean that I do not remember what it is like to be alive, how precious it is and how hard it is to maintain.

And how easy it is to destroy.

* * *

You have no idea how long I've wanted to do Hex's point of view.

So, with school starting soon, I won't be able to update as often as I would like. I'm really sorry but there's not much that can be done about that. And yes, I'm leaving you with this just before my updates get erratic.

Wow, I am just really, really evil.

Please review :)

Please?

Updates might come faster.

*hushed whisper*

No they won't.


	13. Chapter 12

Hey guys! Sorry it took so long.

So, I'm not gonna say anything except I don't own Skylanders.

Enjoy

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

~Stealth Elf

After being stuck in a time rift, the worst part isn't the lost hours that you will never get back; it's the horrible jet lag that follows. We should've been done around noon and instead found out we had lost ten full hours, putting us closer to nine o'clock at night and ten hours closer to irreversible doom. The best way to get rid of jet lag? Attempt to get yourself back on schedule. For us, that amounted to getting some sleep even though we all felt like it was the middle of the day. Surprisingly, we all managed to get a really good nights sleep.

Translation: Hex cast a sleeping spell when all of us finally agreed where we would spend the night, a pretty damn powerful one too. I was out like a light from the second I closed my eyes. I never fall asleep that quickly.

And yes, we all knew about it and agreed on it ahead of time.

Sleeping arrangements are always a lot more complicated than they need to be. The main island is a lot smaller than anyone wants to admit and there was still a lot of debris scattered around what used to be buildings, not to mention the 'I refuse to bunk with {insert person} because {insert reason}'. We made it work. There were tents, canvas, sleeping bags, and a wide variety of other materials stored in the underground tunnels for when we had to go on long mission assignments. I can guarantee that no one though we'd be using them because the only reliable way our houses was utterly demolished. Everyone's got their own personal preference for in a pinch sleeping strategy ; Icicle, for example, likes to string a hammock between two trees, plop in it, and relax as the wind gently rocks her to sleep.

I honestly prefer the tree. It's solid, sturdy, hides you from sight if it's the right season, and they're not very difficult to find in any place in Skylands. Assuming it's old enough to support the weight of a person, each one has at a few branches that perfectly fit against its trunk, creating a prime spot to catch a few z's. If you're like me, and have spent your entire life in forests with stealth training, you don't even need to tie yourself down. Another great advantage is that they're one of the few completely private places on the island.

Or, at least, usually private.

See, I am a very light sleeper. Being a ninja will do that to you. Coupled with elven hearing, it is damn near impossible to sneak up on me. So, when the sunlight brushed across my cheeks and brought me back to consciousness, I was expecting to be alone. When I found Flameslinger snoozing on the branch next to mine, you can imagine my reaction.

I, very quietly, flipped.

"What are you doing here!?" I seethed, my voice no louder than a hiss. Flameslinger jolted awake, grabbing a branch to stabilize himself and prevent himself from crashing onto the several dragons curled up at the base of the tree. I still wasn't sure how he could possibly see without his eyes, even if he did have some sort of far seeing flame vision. He hadn't even taken his blindfold off to go to sleep for crying out loud. Then again, I did slip into the land of dreams in my face mask as well.

"Good morning, Stealth Elf," he yawned, stretching a little. "What time is it?"

"What are you doing here?" I repeated, some of the anger draining from my voice as the initial shock wore off. I was still furious, don't get me wrong. It was just a little on the early side to be able to stay any specific emotion for too long.

"I was sleeping," he replied.

"But why here?" I asked, not amused in the slightest.

"I did not feel like sharing a tent wiz eizer Gill Grunt or Boomer," he answered, his tone only slightly joking. I couldn't blame him for not wanting that sleeping arrangement. Being a member of the fire element, putting him near water could prove disastrous and putting him near someone who specializes in explosives would be even more so. By morning, at least one them would most likely not be alive.

"There are empty tents," I reminded. "Plenty of rooms in the tunnels. A couple of hammocks here and there. Other trees."

"I wanted to be close to ze others in case an emergency was called," he said with a grin. "Ze spell did not take effect as fast on me. You were already asleep when I climbed up. Does it bozer you zat I snuck up on you?"

"In my profession," I deadpanned, "If something like this happens, it means I'm destined for a shallow grave or the bottom of an ocean."

"Do not be so 'ard on yourself, Stealth," he said, his voice gentle and, dare I say, a little warm. He carefully slid himself across the branches until he was seated next to me, sitting just out of reach. "We 'ave been working nonstop wizout a single break. We were all exhausted and confused from ze time rift. If it was not for 'Ex's spell, it could 'ave taken weeks to get us back to normal."

"That's not an excuse," I said, glancing at him. Something was off. He wasn't acting like himself. Normally, he would've said something flirtatious, called me his darling, tried to put an arm around me, or do something...well...that showed he liked me in a specific way. Now, he was just chatting as if he saw me as nothing more than a friend, casually swinging his legs through the air. The more I thought about it, though, it didn't seem as out of the ordinary. Back when he first joined, Flameslinger acted much as he was doing now: still arrogant as hell but he was more of a gentleman than a flirt. It wasn't until later that he started to tease me, and me specifically, never really expanding his range to the others besides a few casual remarks. So why revert back now? What had changed?

Well, besides everything.

"Is somezing wrong, Stealth Elf?" he asked, sounding concerned. Okay, that's just wrong. Flameslinger teasing people? Normal. Being completely optimistic? Normal. Downplaying threats? Very normal. Sounding concerned for someone else's wellbeing? Unnatural, weird, out of the question, absolutely not right.

Did Kaos' Evil Pyro Archer and the idiot I usually work with switch places?

"What is going on?" I finally demanded. "For almost two and a half years we've worked together and for almost all of them, you've flirted with me, called me your darling, and made a show out of pretending to be my boyfriend. Why? Why me? There are tons of elven girls drooling over your boots and would willingly go out with you. And just now you pull out the nice guy card? What makes you think this will change anything? Let me spell it out for you. We. Are. Not. A. Thing!"

Flameslinger slightly recoiled at my final words, his face falling a little. All my anger evaporated like a puddle on a hot summer day. I'm very blunt. I always speak my mind whether people want to hear it or not. That doesn't mean I like hurting people, though. Sure, Flameslinger ticks me off on a daily basis but not to the extent that I hate him. He's my friend, my colleague, my rite brother. He's family. Regardless of what I actually think, the rant was completely and totally inappropriate...and something that may have cost me a very good friend.

"Flameslinger, I'm-" I started to say but stopped as he reached behind his head, undoing the knot in his blindfold. The strip of red cloth fell out of his hands, slowly fluttering into his lap. He didn't look up at me until it had come to rest. I'm not the sappy romantic type but Flameslinger's eyes are beautiful. Little fires dance in the center of his eyes, illuminating them like a gentle sunset. Along the corners of them, light green tattoos spiral out in small licks of dragon fire. I had only seen them once, back when we had performed the rite. Back then, they had blazed with confidence and passion. Now, they burned no brighter than embers, a deep sadness brimming beneath the surface.

"You know why I wear ze blindfold," he began, a sad smile crossing his face. "It is to keep people from staring at ze fires in my eyes. It becomes frustrating when people see somzing on ze outside more zen in ze inside. Zer is anozer reason though. When people see me wear zis, zey assume I am ze cocky one who never needs 'is eyes to be good at firing arrows. It is my uniform. When I 'ave zis on, I feel like I can do anyzing. I can be fearless, amorous, confident. But zat is not me. Inside, I am scared, I am awkward around women, I doubt myself. Zat is ze true me; zis is who I really am."

"So...you've been faking the act of a flirt to keep up your image," I said flatly. It wasn't a question. He chuckled a little, his smile slightly widening.

"Yes, and at ze same time, no. Stealth Elf, you are ze strongest, most clever, most beautiful girl I 'ave ever met and you deserve ze best person in ze world. When I joined, zere were people who were not talking about you in ze best way, calling you someone who would, you know, be good for a night of pleasure and nozing more. Zey were not Skylanders but zat just was not right. So, I began pretending I was your boyfriend when we were togezer in public. I knew it would anger you but it stopped ze comments."

"You've been trying to...protect me?" I asked, not sure if I was hearing him correctly. I mean, sure, I had been catcalled before but that's just life. It just happened. Plus, anyone stupid enough just got my fist in their face after the first syllable left their mouth. Flameslinger's comments were mostly harmless teasing and since we were friends it was okay but...he was using it to shield me from other people's comments? That is...strangely romantic and thoughtful.

"It sounds very sexist, I know, but men say fewer zings about females in a steady relationship," he replied. "Zat, and also when zey are wiz zeir boyfriend. I know you hate it when people zink we are going out but I did not know what else to do. You are very important to me and seeing ozers talking about you in that way breaks my 'eart. I know you do not love me, or even like me in zat fashion, but I zat is fine by me, for I will always be zere for you."

It took a few seconds before I understood what he was saying.

"Flameslinger," I said, slipping off my face mask. "Back on the chain to the Quicksilver Vault, when you said that you loved me, were you telling the truth?" He looked down at his lap, his cheeks tinted slightly pink, before meeting my eyes again. I had never seen him blush before. Now the fires in his eyes were like little candles, small but bright, a beacon in the darkness that had been looming over our heads for weeks now.

"Oui," he replied. "If love is too strong a word for you, zen I 'ave always 'ad feelings for you. After we were blasted to Earth, I realized zat we are not going to be 'ere forever. We go on dangerous missions all ze time and ze chances of us all making it back are growing slimmer every day. I 'onestly zought we were going to die zat day. When woke up, I promised myself zat I would tell you ze first chance I got. I did not zink it would take zis long."

How is a person supposed to feel when hearing a confession like that? Humbled? Surprised? Concerned? For me, it was respect. Flameslinger had done something very few guys would ever do: bear their feelings for the world to see. He was nervous; he had said it himself. He was scared how I would react. He had even taken off his blindfold, something that made him insecure already, and let me see the truth in his eyes. He wasn't lying. He...loves me. The greatest risk any guy can take is confessing his love and he thinks that I don't feel the same. And yet he still told me what his heart was saying and what everyone but me knew from the start.

Elder Elementals, I'm an idiot.

"Flameslinger," I said, sliding closer to him. "I'm sorry. No guy has ever done half the things you've done for me. You've saved my life countless times, you've been a steadfast ally and friend, and you are the first person to actually say that they care about me in this way. That's not nothing."

"So, what are you saying?"

I took in a really deep breath.

"I'm saying I would be willing to go on a date with you once we have time. However," I added,"...you have to promise me two things. One, that you will stop flirting with every single girl you meet, including me." Flameslinger'e eyes lit up, the fiery passion returning to his gaze, and he nodded his head several times, giving him the distinct resemblance of a bobble-head.

"Oui, no problem Stealth-"

"And that you'll be yourself," I continued, putting a small smile on my face too. "You don't have to pretend to be anything around me or around anyone else. Either way, we're gonna accept you. I'm going to accept you. We Skylanders stick together. Deal?" A wide grin spilt his face, his pearly white teeth reflecting the spots of sunlight filtering through the leaves.

"Deal," he replied, putting one of his hands on mine. His hands were covered in callouses from years of drawing bowstrings, but as to be expected from a member of the fire element, they were warm to the touch. Not sweaty or burning, just a comfortable, constant heat, sort of like an electric blanket. "Thank you, ma cherie."

"And don't call me that," I finished, putting on my face mask once again.

"But why?" he playfully wined as he covered his eyes with the blindfold again, tying two tight knots into the slightly tattered fabric.

"It's annoying," I replied, checking the dragonfang daggers fastened to my belt. They were polished and ready for battle, something that would likely be coming soon.

"But what am I going to call you?" he inquired, grabbing his bow and quiver from a higher branch. He swung them over his shoulder, adjusting his tunic and other armor strips, buckling his boots a little tighter.

"Stealth Elf works just fine," I answered, hopping down into the tree branches. With a slightly louder leap, Flameslinger followed me down the mature oak tree, bouncing between the branches with precision. It wasn't up to ninja standards but it would pass muster for the average Skylander.

"What about-"

"Just stick with my real name," I interrupted, jumping to the ground. Softly landing in a crouch, I quickly got out of the way to leave space for the archer. He swung down from a branch into the space I had just occupied, his gear shifting and making a small clatter. The still snoozing dragons, and mama griffin, shifted in their sleep, muttering about mutton, boys, and little babies. Flameslinger gave me another toothy grin and we started walking towards the Core.

"I was going to say Stealth," he whispered.

"You call me that anyways," I dismissively said. From the staircase that lead to the beach, Hex floated up, her black gown billowing in the wind. She had taken off her elaborate headdress, letting her long black hair spill over her shoulders and down her back. Her ears were a good length and somewhat thinner than most, making her face seem more angular. As different as she looked without her headdress, it was her face that was most unusual. Hex seemed to be deep in thought, and while it would be hard to tell unless you knew her, she looked a little worried.

"Good morning, Hex," I called as I walked over to her, Flameslinger following close behind. She turned to us, her face now its normal calm, if slightly fierce, expression.

"Stealth Elf, Flameslinger," she greeted. "You two look well this morning. I trust things worked out well between you two?"

"Oui. Thank you, 'Ex," he said, nodding his head as he said it.

Me falling asleep faster than I had in my entire life.

The sleeping spell not taking effect as fast on him.

Not waking up to the sound of the archer climbing up the tree.

Goddamnit.

"You..." I hissed as Flameslinger gave me a very sheepish smile, one hand behind his head as his ears slightly drooped. If this were a cartoon, there would be a very large sweat drop next to his forehead. Forget the fact I just promised him a date. He was going to die. Painfully.

"See you later!" he shouted and before I knew what had happened, he had blazed towards the Core of Light, leaving a trail of flames in his wake and causing several sleeping people to loudly groan, their peaceful rest rudely interrupted. I didn't bother to chase after him. It wouldn't have proven anything. And he did just pour his heart out to me. And it would've woken even more of the Skylanders.

And I just didn't feel like it, to be honest.

"Why? Just why?" I asked Hex, pinching the area between my eyes. Things had been weird lately, with Kaos trying to destroy us at every corner, the Darkness threatening to take over, places getting invaded on a daily basis, and Whirlwind planting a kiss on Sunburn's beak. If I were to try and give that context, we would be here for a while. So, the fact that Hex and Flameslinger had teamed up to plan a scenario in which we could confess our feelings for each other wasn't all that odd compared to everything else.

Still, it's Hex.

"He was begging me for help and I decided that this course of action would result in fewer deaths, along with the benefit of making him stop talking," she replied.

"I'm not sure whether to thank you, hate you, or ask where my friend is because you are most certainly not her," I said, smiling under my face mask. "So, how was your first quiet night in almost three weeks?"

"Not as quiet as I would have liked," she replied. "I received a message, a warning. It involved Icicle." I blinked a few times. A warning? That couldn't be good.

"What was the message?" I asked. Hex closed her eyes, lost in thought for what seemed like an age. When she finally spoke, it was in a voice much more haunting that I had ever heard her speak in before, one that seemed to echo in my head. I shivered, fear rolling down my spine. There are times I forget that Hex is a member of the undead first and foremost. Hearing her speak in this way reminded me that she isn't quite alive; she has more in common with ghosts and skeletons than a living elf like me.

" _Beware the halfing Gatekeeper girl. She hides many secrets and lets few unfurl. The bond she shares will soon unwind. A fate worse than death like the rest of her kind_ ," she recited in the strange voice, opening her eyes once she was finished. "I have been pondering over its meaning all night. I reached two conclusions, but neither are good. The first one I can see is that Icicle's fate is tied to her being a Gatekeeper, as the message references a bond. Icicle and Jeremy are bonded together and if the message is correct, their bond will be severed for an unknown reason. The other is better represented by her status as being half-frost elf and half-wood elf. What is a fate worse than death for a person like her?"

"Becoming a drow" I answered, thinking hard. Assuming that the message was accurate, Icicle could be in real danger on any number of fronts. She's a pretty vulnerable girl in many aspects: bullied as a young child, chronic shyness, low self-confidence, and a halfling to boot. Any one of those traits could end up doing her in. Plus, she is one of my best friends and soon to be rite sister. That alone should have made me take it seriously. There was just a little something off, though. For starters, where did Hex get the message? From whom? And why did it rhyme? Rhyming stuff comes from fortune tellers and quacks.

"Who gave it to you?" I asked.

"Ghosts and other spirits who live near the crypt," she answered. Oh, another message from beyond the grave. That's not sketchy at all. "I believe that they were s-" She never did finish that sentence because there was a large flash near the Core of Light, temporarily blinding me, followed by the most deafening noise known to Skylander kind: the sound of pure and utter joy that comes with finishing an unending mission.

"WE'RE DONE!" the thirteen Skylanders who had just appeared shouted at the top of their lungs before erupting into celebration. Everyone else who had been asleep was most certainly not anymore, rushing the Core of Light and embracing the first person in sight. Above them floated the Eternal Magic Source, a purple sphere that was practically oozing power and energy. They had done it! That's the last part to the Core!

"Hex, you gotta stop listening to so many ghosts. It's making you paranoid!" I shouted as I ran towards the pile of Skylanders, weaving in and out until I found the little half-frost elf in the center. She had a wide grin on her face and she was being congratulated by everyone in sight. Not wasting a second, I tackled her, both of us laughing as we hit the ground.

"You did it!"

"I know!"

"How'd it go?

"We were outnumbered five tae one, so, business as usual," she said with a laugh, giving me a large hug.

"I still can't believe you flew that ship!"

"Neither can I!"

"You should've seen her!" Slam Bam said, lifting the two of us back to our feet. "She's a class A pilot in disguise!"

"I'm not that good," Icicle said, a blush forming around her cheeks. "Certainly not as good as a class A pilot."

"Not that good!" Spyro exclaimed, budging closer. "You were incredible! Sure, it was a little rough around the edges but you got us in and out in one piece!"

"Aye, but I don't want tae do that again until I actually learn tae pilot a ship," Icicle said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked. The little half-frost elf just flashed me her dainty little teeth and gave a small wink in return.

"I'll tell ye later," she replied.

"Skylanders! Portal Master Jeremy!" Eon announced. We all fell silent as the head of our former Portal Master appeared in the sky and our current Portal Master's hologram popped up next to the Core. "You have retrieved the final element, the very essence of Skylands, the Eternal Magic Source! The Core of Light...is reborn!" With that, the glowing orb of magic entered the Core, delving deep within its machinery. There was a brief pause, where all the machinery ceased its movement, before starting up again in ernest, moving faster than I had ever seen it before. Electricity formed at the top of the Core, crackling with raw elemental power, before a large beam shot out into the sky. It pierced the layer of darkness surrounding the sky above, destroying it as if it was a barrier or forcefield, flooding our world with light once more.

We went ballistic.

"WE DID IT!"

"Take that Kaos!"

"We're coming for you now!"

"You thought you could beat us? Ha!"

"Light! I never thought I'd be so happy to see light"

"The other Skylanders can come home now!" Jeremy shouted, sending up another wave of cheers. That's right! With the Core repaired, our Portal Master and Gatekeeper would have enough energy to get everyone home in one fell swoop. We could finally be at full strength and have enough people to take down Kaos once and for all. "Icicle, you ready?"

"Aye!" she shouted. "But we're going tae need some space fer everyone!"

"Right," he replied, everyone coming back down to Skylands. "Let's see...how about the area near the Far Viewer?"

"Looks good tae me," she replied, squeezing through the crowd and walking over to the large open field. "Alright Jeremy. Send 'em through!" Holding out her arms, she took in a deep breath and started to cast her spell, transferring her energy over to our young Portal Master. Above her head, a portal swirled into existence, a rainbow colored whirlpool that combined all the elements into one incredible spell. One by one, the other Skylanders jumped through, shouting their battle cries and running to their friends, the regular members going first before the Sidekicks jumped through. I saw Gill Runt, Trigger Snappy, and Terrabite pop through in quick succession before the little one I had been waiting for jumped through, the last one before the portal closed.

"Silent but deadly!" Whisper Elf shouted before running into my arms. I pulled the girl tight to my chest, nearly smothering her as my arms wrapped around her slender body. We spun in a circle several times, the two of us laughing together. Her face popped upwards, her eyes closed and her eyebrows raised. Even without her mouth visible, I knew she was smiling. "I've missed you so much, Stealthy. It was really lonely and I haven't been able to sleep very well. I never want to be frozen again."

"I've missed you too, Whisper," I replied, picking her up. "And I'm gonna agree with you; being frozen sucks. Now, why don't we go and give Kaos a little payback?"

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, waving her fists. "Let's give him a taste of his own-ICICLE!" I whipped around, my eyes desperately scanning the area. There is a reason why the little elf is named Whisper; her voice rarely rises above a soft speaking tone, even when she's excited. To hear her scream is an immediate sign of warning. A sinking feeling settled in my chest. Hex's warning. It wasn't a red herring. It was happening. Now. Where was Icicle? What was going on? When I finally found her, I had to stop myself from screaming.

Her torso was turning into ice.

"Icicle!" I shouted, running up to her. I grabbed her shoulders, trying to comprehend what I was seeing. This couldn't be happening. "What's going on?" Whisper Elf was right behind me and Flamslinger, Hex, and Slam Bam were only milliseconds slower. Icicle looked up, her eyes distant and glazed over, with only a shadow of a smile on her face.

"I was afraid this was going tae happen," she said as more of her body turned into solid water, spreading down her legs and up towards her shoulders.

"What do you mean?" I frantically asked. "Is this about the energy transfer? You promised it wouldn't hurt you!"

"I lied," she said, her voice calm and even toned, even as her face wasn't. "But I'm not sorry."

"Icicle!" Hugo shouted, running up to us. He looked horrified, his eyes the size of saucers. When he saw Icicle's freezing body, he dropped the book in his hand, falling to his knees. "No...no, no, no. This wasn't supposed to happen. I didn't think you'd actually use it."

"You knew!" Slam Bam shouted, rounding on him. The Mabu recoiled, backing away as his sheer and utter anger rolled off of his body in waves. "She's dying and you knew this would happen! This could have been prevented if you had just opened your big goddamn-"

"Don't blame Hugo," Icicle said. "I made him tae keep the secret. I knew ye'd never let me do it if ye knew. Hugo, tell them everythin. They need tae know."

"How do we stop it?" Flameslinger asked, keeping his distance from Icicle even though it looked like he wanted to throw his arms around her. "'Ex, do somezing!"

"I'm trying," she said through gritted teeth, her hands waving in complex patterns as she summoned up spell after spell. Icicle shook her head, her wavy hair falling across her face in little waves. Her entire lower half was now completely see through and cold to the touch, her arms slowly turning as well.

"There's nothin ye can do tae stop it," she said, her voice shaking a little. "It's irreversible."

"Icy..." Whisper Elf pleaded, putting a hand on her leg. Little tears were forming along the edges of her eyes, threatening to spill over. "You're a Skylander. You can't...you can't...you just can't do this!"

"I know. But I'm also a Gatekeeper," she said, giving me a sad little smile as the ice creeped up her neck. "Tell ma parents fer me, Stealth Elf. Yer the greatest friend I could've asked fer. Yer the sister I never had and the one I've always wanted. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better one tae ye." Like a mask, it crept over her face and down her hair, sealing itself with a small burst of delicate snowflakes. For a few seconds, I just stood there, my body and soul numb.

"Why...why did she do it?" I asked Hugo. "What happened? Why did this happen? Why?" There wasn't anger. There wasn't sadness. There wasn't hatred. There was just a deep hole where my heart used to be.

"The what is easier to answer than the why," Hugo said. "Everyone knows that you can't take in energy while you're casting it otherwise you'll, well, explode. Even if you use all the magic in your body, there's always a little bit of dormant magic left to keep you stable. Portal Masters only ever take a small portion of it. But what do you suppose would happen if someone used a spell to turn all the energy in their body into dormant magic and someone else sucked it out of them?"

"There would be nothing left," Hex said in a low voice. "Dominate energy would rush to fill the void within the person, transforming them into a pure elemental state. The person would become something that is not dead, but not alive either, suspended forever in time."

A fate worse than death like the rest of her kind.

So that's what that line meant.

"Can she hear us?" Whisper asked, wiping her eyes dry. Tracks of tears ran down her cheeks, spotting the little mask across her face.

"She can, so you should say your goodbyes now, because in twenty-four hours, we won't even be able to see her anymore," Hugo said, picking up his book.

"What?!" Flameslinger exclaimed. "What does zat mean?" The Mabu shifted his weight, looking around and adjusting his glasses.

"This part of the island will break off and become a wasteland of ice and snow, difficult to navigate and hard to access. Right about where we're standing, there will be a large structure made of gold and silver, with a black disk that displays the water element symbol," he finally said. "They're called Gatekeepers for a reason, after all."

No. No-no-no-no-no.

"You mean that Icicle's going to become an Elemental Gate? But how?" Slam Bam asked, saying what we were all thinking.

"It's already starting to happen," Hugo said, motioning to Icicle's feet. The area directly around it was covered in frost, the blades of grass cracking as their cells were frozen into immobility. "Icicle's become a magnet for water elemental energy. Soon, she'll attract so much that this place will become overwhelmed with the displacement and will seal itself off. Once that happens, she'll become its guardian, keeping those who shouldn't enter out. That's why Icicle couldn't enter the Elemental Gate earlier; that Gate's guardian, a Gatekeeper from ages ago, was warning her of what was to come."

"Why...why did she do this?" I asked, running a hand over Icicle's frozen cheek. This could be happening. I didn't want to accept that my best friend was gone. I couldn't. She was my family even if we hadn't done the rite. I never had a family; I couldn't loose her too. "How could she do this?"

"She knew she could bring everyone home," Hugo said. "She said, and these are her words and not mine, 'If you had a way to fix all the problems that we've been facing for the past few weeks, would you do it?'" No one said a word. We didn't need to. Every single one of us knew the answer to that question. If any of us had been in her position, we would have done it without a moment's hesitation.

But why did it have to be her?

"Skylanders," Spyro finally said. His voice was heavy and a little choked up. "It's time. We're all back in Skylands and finally at full strength. We have to strike now and take out Kaos. He's already fled to the Outlands. If we attack now, we can defeat him for good. Icicle gave everything to bring us all home. Let's not make her sacrifice in vain. That's the best thing we can do to honor her memory."

"And make sure she's never forgotten," I said, looking into the statue's frosted eyes. One by one, Skylanders came up to her, saying their goodbyes.

"I'll miss you," Whirlwind blubbered, tears flowing freely.

"You were a real heroine," Cynder said, bowing her head.

"I'm proud to have called you a member of the water element," Gill Grunt said, giving her a salute.

"I used to believe that you were cowardly," Ignitor said, keeping his distance from the frozen girl. "Now I see that you are one of the bravest Skylanders to have ever lived. I'm sorry."

"I'll make sure Kaos pays for this, little sis," Slam Bam growled.

"Au revoir, Icicle," Flameslinger said, the edges of his blindfold slightly damp.

"If I could, I would send you to the Underworld without a moment's hesitation," Hex spoke. That would have been a kindness beyond compare. Icicle couldn't even move on to the Underworld for her final rest. Going there might have even turned her into a member of the undead. I'd take Icicle as a ghost if it would just bring her back.

"I should have stopped you. I'm so sorry," Hugo said. He turned towards the Core of Light, going up to a control panel along the side. With the Core repaired, we could use it to travel wherever we wanted, a good sign since it seemed we wouldn't be getting portals anytime soon. "Whenever you guys are ready."

"I just want you to come back," Whisper cried, sill hugging Icicle's legs. With a gentle hand, Hex lead the little elf girl away and towards Hugo, the other Skylanders following her at a slow trudge, leaving Spyro and me standing by her.

"I remember when I first met you," he began. "You were scared, uncertain, but still one of the strongest people I had ever met. Now, you are confident and a Skylander through and through. I'm glad I met you, I'm glad to have worked with you, and I promise that none of us will never forget you."

And then it was just me. I wrapped my arms around her, giving her one last hug. Cold seeped through my clothes and skin but I didn't want to let go. I just wanted to stay there with her so that she wouldn't be alone. But I couldn't feel her. I didn't know where she was. She wasn't alive, she wasn't dead, she wasn't something I could understand.

I was alone

Icicle was gone.

My co-worker, my friend, my sister, gone.

And she would never be coming back.

"Goodbye," I whispered, breaking the hug and walking towards the Core. I joined my teammates who were being beamed up one by one towards the Outlands and Kaos, my head facing the ground the entire time. No one else was trying to hide it, but if someone else saw, I'd become an unconsolable emotional wreck.

So the only one who saw my tears were the blades of grass at my feet.

* * *

I'm not even sure I have an excuse for any of that.

But I promise things will get better for the next chapter.

Please review


	14. Chapter 13

Hey everyone :)

Yes, I'm alive. I'm really sorry for the delayed update. And that last chapter where I left all of you hanging. BUT! I think you'll like this chapter. Think.

I don't own Skylanders.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

~Jeremy

Icicle was dead.

And it was my fault.

I had killed her.

It didn't matter that I didn't know. It didn't matter that Icicle chose to use the energy transfer ability. What did matter is that I took every last drop of magic from her, causing her to turn into an ice sculpture. I didn't stop to think why she seemed a little sadder than usual or that it maybe wasn't a great idea to use all of her energy first. Yes, I'll admit it. I had learned how to feel for her magic and take it before I used my own. That's not how it's supposed to work; her energy is my back up, not something I'm supposed to rely on.

In simple speech, if I had been on trial, they would have found me guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt.

I know that she technically wasn't dead. I also know I didn't actually kill her. I'm also thirteen. It's just easier to think she was dead. I mean, she was a solid block of ice that couldn't respond to anything anyone said; that's pretty close to being dead. But there was no dispute on the fact it was my fault. Because of me, she was doomed to become the center of an Elemental Gate and guard it for all eternity, all because I had been too greedy. I'm not sure if that's worse than actually killing her or not. I didn't even say goodbye to her. I couldn't. I physically couldn't. I had seen my new friends fight against monsters, take on armies, sustain horrible injuries, but to see one of them die right before my eyes was...there were no words to describe it. My body froze and I couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't speak. Someone had died in front of me. And I had killed her.

Through my holographic image, I watched the Skylanders travel one by one into the Core of Light, bubbles forming around the individuals and sending them off towards the Outlands. The final battle was coming up; our final battle with Kaos. The Ruins were dead silent; every click of the machine's keyboard sounded as loud as a gunshot. No one was saying anything, although several people wept, but no one needed to say anything. I could feel their anger, their grief, their sadness. While it was focused in several different directions, it all circled back to one person. Me. Maybe they didn't outright blame me. Maybe they weren't directly thinking it. But deep down, I knew that every single one of them blamed their Portal Master.

"Master Eon," I quietly whispered, not wanting to disturb the peace. "Could you direct the Skylanders for a little bit? I...I need to...I need some..."

"I understand," the elderly Portal Master softly replied, his voice gentle and calming. "I can guide them as I once did, but not for long. You are their Portal Master now. They are your responsibility, Jeremy. You cannot abandon them for long."

"Thanks," I said, bringing my awareness back to my body. The jolt that followed never got any easier to anticipate, not to mention that it felt like ants crawling down my entire body. Instinctively, my hand fell away from the portal, the image of Skylands fading like early morning mist until it only showed my bedroom wall. With my whole body shaking, I set the ancient artifact on my old wooden dresser and collapsed on my bed, grasping my skull with both hands. Screw what anyone says about being manly, I started bawling. Icicle, my friend, the first Skylander I had ever met, the person who I shared a bond with and could talk to about anything, was gone. I was the one responsible for it. I felt so alone. Ever since Icicle and I had bonded, I had never really been alone; she was always at the edges of my mind and was always there if I just needed to talk. She had helped me become a Portal Master, helped take off the shock of all I was going through, helped me learn what it means to be in control of the Skylanders. And now she was gone. It was like she never even existed.

If I could just have one wish granted, just one, it would be to bring her back.

I couldn't do this without her.

"I gotta say, I thought they had stopped selecting young Portal Masters," someone said. Through my teary eyes, I looked up and just about burst through the ceiling with the height I cleared. A woman, maybe in her mid twenties, was leaning against my dresser. She was fairly tall and had skin the color lilies, a stark contrast to her short jet black hair. Her clothes were in shades of brown and tan, with a shirt that bordered the line between yellow and gold. Around her hips was a tool belt filled with all sorts of strange whirligigs. She was staring at me with dark brown eyes, her aviator goggles pushed up against her hair.

There was a woman in my room. How did she even get in here?

And why did she look like...

Holy. Freaking. Shit.

"You're...you're Arasten, the first Portal Master, the creator of the Skylanders," I said in a hushed whisper. I wasn't sure whether to scream or throw myself into the deepest, most respectable bow I could muster. The most legendary Portal Master in Skylands' history, who had led the Elder Elementals in a war against the Arkeyeans, was standing in my dinky excuse for a bedroom with dirty laundry covering the floor. She chuckled, giving me a warm smile.

"And you're Jeremy, the first Portal Master from Earth," she replied with a twinkle in her eye. "Call me Ara. The only people who called me Arasten were my parents."

"How...how did you get in here?" I stammered. "How are you even here? There's no...there's no way you can still be..."

"Alive?" she asked, walking over to me. With a small spin of her wrist, she held out her gloved hand and moved to pat me on the head. Instead of feeling her palm flattening my hair, I just felt a cold shiver as it passed through my body. My eyes as wide as saucers, I looked up at Ara, who was giving me a slight smirk.

"You're a ghost," I said.

And the award for the most obvious statement of the year goes to me.

"The exact same thing that happened to Eon happened to me," she replied. "I was twenty-three when some idiot blew me to kingdom come. I'm a sprit now, trapped between dimensions, which means I can manifest myself pretty much wherever I want, including here."

Arasten, or more specifically, her manifested spirit, was in my room.

I was really, really hoping that I wasn't hallucinating.

"Why...why are you here though?" I asked, putting a hand on my forehead.

"Without trying to sound creepy, I've been keeping an eye on you and the other Skylanders," she said, sitting down next to me. "It's kind of my self-appointed retirement. Every couple of decades, I check in on how Skylands is doing, catch up on current history, and if everything seems peachy, I go back to sleep. If it's not, I intervene in the most discrete way possible because, well, your reaction was comparatively mild to most. Once in a while, however, the ghosts wake me up if something important is happening, like Kaos' attack on the Core of Light, Icicle becoming the first Gatekeeper in over two centuries, and you becoming the newest Portal Master. I tried sending a message through my ghostly friends to warn you about her fate but it seems it got delivered too late to be of use. It was intercepted by Hex just last night."

"That's not your fault though," I mumbled, tears starting to form in my eyes again. "I...I should have asked more questions, I should have looked into the Gatekeepers more, I shouldn't have been so greedy, I should have...I should have done something."

"It hurts, doesn't it?" she said, her voice slightly hollow and full of sorrow. "The emptiness, the vacancy where your friend used to be. You can still feel it but it's gone and you know that it will never come back."

"That's right," I remembered, glancing at her. "You had Gatekeepers too." She nodded her head, her eyes glazed over and staring into the distance, or, well, into my closet.

"Yes, Lumina and Atra," she started to recall. "They were my best friends in the entire world. We had known each other since...forever. By the time I was seven, I had discovered my powers and whether we realized it or not, we had become bonded to each other. It's something you can't control; either it happens between a Portal Master and a Gatekeeper or it doesn't. You were bonded to Icicle for a little under three weeks; I was bonded to them for almost eight years. Eight years, Jeremy."

I stared at my bedroom floor, letting her words sink in. I thought I felt empty inside, like there was something missing from me that I would never get back. That was just from a three week bond. Eight years. At that point, they would have been so intertwined, so close and so dependent on each other, that if the bond had been broken, it would be like ripping out a part of your soul. And Arasten had two Gatekeepers.

I couldn't even begin to imagine how that must have been for her.

"I'm so sorry," I said, not sure why I was apologizing. It just felt right.

"There were only two good things that came out of their sacrifice," Ara continued. "The first is that the spell worked. The Giants grew to their legendary heights and were able to take on the Arkeyan army, only to be banished at the end of the battle. The second is that because of the elements the sisters were, they canceled each other out and died instead of being trapped in elemental statues. Every so often, they return to help current Gatekeepers, but they prefer to stay where they are. In that sense, they are very lucky."

"Does every Gatekeeper become an Elemental Gate?" I asked. The Portal Master's eyes closed and there was a long silence where she said nothing. I hardly dared to breathe.

"Just about," she finally said. "People wonder why there are so many Gates if Gatekeepers are so rare. It's because they've been around for a very, very long time. The truth is that any magic user, be it wizard, witch, mage, or sorcerer, can use their energy, given the right spell. Back in my day, they were literally called living batteries. The Arkeyans were the worst offenders of them all. They used to use them to power their most complicated magical workings and then used the Gates to store valuables. They were rarely used for their ability to find objects and people."

"Then why isn't that done now?"

"I burned all the documents on how to perform the spells for taking their energy," Arasten said, speaking almost in monotone. "I hunted down anyone who knew them and taught that using Gatekeepers for personal gain was wrong, regardless of who was using it. I wanted them to never have to be exploited again. It sort of worked."

"Because now Portal Masters are the only ones that can use them because of the bond we end up creating whether we want to or not," I finished. She sadly nodded her head. "That's just...that's just so wrong. They were basically treated as tools. No wonder no one's found a way to save them."

"I never said that," Arasten said, a slight smile appearing across her face. I looked up at her, something resembling hope fluttering in my chest. "It took a very long time because there was never a lot of initiative to figure out how to reverse it. Eon's teacher was the one to discover how to do it. It's surprisingly simple. The energy transfer makes a Gatekeeper become all of one element. You just have to give her back the missing seven."

"Well...I guess that's not impossible," I slowly said. "I'm not sure how I'm going to do that but I'll take anything I can get. I have to save her. But...I don't think I can do much of anything here."

"No, you can't," she replied. "For a spell like that, being on Earth is not going to help you in the slightest."

"I'm going to have to go to Skylands," I said. It was supposed to be a question but I ended up answering it as the words came out of my mouth. Arasten's grin widened and she stood up, stretching a little.

"Yep, and you better hurry. If you don't do it soon, it'll really become irreversible. As for the portal to Skylands, I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're a smart kid," she replied. "Well, I'm sorry I unloaded a crap ton of dark history on you but I haven't talked to anyone in a very long time. That, and it's important for you to know this since I might not be back for a little."

"Hey, Ara," I asked, getting to my feet as well. "How come I'm a Portal Master? I'm not even from Skylands."

"You're human," she simply said. "Every Portal Master has been, although, not all humans are Portal Masters. You want to know why? Why am I even asking? Of course you do. It's because we don't have a dominate element. Sure, we all have favorites, but we're a little bit of everything, which is how we are able to create portals. The point is, you can use any element you wish at any time. Keep that in mind. And good luck." With a wink and a flamboyant bow, the Portal Master faded away, leaving me alone once more.

Once again, really, really hoping that I'm not going crazy.

That's why no one had found a way to bring Gatekeepers back. To save them, you'd either have to get together seven people who would be willing to give someone else a portion of their elemental power, which is unlikely, or someone who could use all eight elements. Certain people throughout Skylands could potentially harness all eight, like Spyro, but they'd likely not have as much experience with anything besides their dominate element. But Portal Masters could use them all with equal ease.

I knew how to save Icicle. I just had to give her what I already had.

But first, I had to get to Skylands.

Rushing over to my dresser, I grabbed the portal and set it on my floor, clearing off a large space around it. Hovering my hands over the ancient plastic artifact, I reached deep inside myself, hunting for the last remaining magic left in my body. I had cast dozens of portals in Skylands. What was one more here on Earth? Willing all the force I could summon, I poured it into the portal, watching as a small swirling vortex appeared on the carpet, just large enough for me to slip both my feet through. Swinging my legs over it, I carefully put one foot in. Almost instantly, the portal flashed a bright magenta and I was sucked into it like a piece of dust into a vacuum.

The Skylanders talk about portal travel being near instantaneous; you go in one end and get spat out the other, like a doorway through space. That wasn't my experience at all. It seemed to take hours and the entire way there, every cell in my body was screaming in pain, bolts of pure energy rocketing through my nerves. Colors were zipping past my eyes, distorting my line of sight and making everything look a little like a kaleidoscope. After what felt like forever and a half, a pinprick of light appeared and grew larger rather rapidly before I tumbled out onto a thick bed of grass.

For a solid two minutes, I just laid on the ground and watched clouds float by as I tried to remember how my limbs worked.

That, and process the fact that there were floating islands among the clouds.

I was in Skylands.

I. Was in. Skylands.

Totally worth the mind numbing pain.

When I finally managed to gain control of my limbs, I shakily got to my feet and looked around. Awestruck didn't even begin to describe how I felt. Skylands, the world that my friends called home and were defending, that I was helping defend, was a place beyond words. How can you really describe a place that is the very definition of magic, a place where you can feel energy tingling against your skin, a place that just feels...complete. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was supposed to be in this place. I was meant to come here. Earth wasn't really my home; Skylands was.

My eyes found the Core of Light and I stood very still. The permanent residents of the Ruins had gathered near the giant structure, all of their backs facing me, having some sort of group meeting from the looks of it. They hadn't heard me. Good. One less thing to think about while I tried to do something fairly impossible. Turning back around, I carefully walked over to Icicle, stopping in front of her frozen form. On Earth, all the Skylanders were roughly the same height and looking through a hologram never gave me a really accurate picture of anything. Standing next to her for real, though, I could see that she really was very small. I reached out and touched her forehead, feeling the cold spread into my fingertips. Closing my eyes, I tried to remember everything I could about the little elf. This was Icicle, my good friend, my best friend. I had to bring her back. I knew how to to it. But where to begin?

Life. That was obvious. If there was one thing Icicle was, it was full of life. She loved to smile and laugh and be around her friends, not to mention she was always thankful for a new day. Simply because she was an elf, she loved to be around nature, around plants and animals and the natural world. While she wasn't known for her green thumb, she loved to garden and be near forests and woods. In my opposite hand, I could feel a small orb of life energy forming, the force buzzing in my palm.

Fire. That was next. While Icicle was certainly not a fire elemental, she handled heat worse than just about anyone I knew, fire doesn't always represent heat. It represents passion, anger, love. Icicle had passion for every task she performed, whether it be incredibly important or rather mundane. She always gave it her all. When riled to anger, she could blow her top just as easily as an angry fire golem. As for love, she often became embarrassed when someone flirted with her and her love for her family and friends was unrivaled. Heat and flames swirled into the orb in my hand, the small sphere growing just slightly.

Earth. While she hated being below it, she preferred her feet planted on the ground. She was also very grounded in an emotional sense. Even though she could be riled, she managed to keep her cool nine times out of ten. Earth is also about being dependable, something Icicle certainly was. She was always there when I needed her, always ready and raring to go, and always came through. The orb got slightly heavier as the weight of earth was added to the growing ball of energy.

Magic. There was so much magic running through her veins that it wasn't even funny. Icicle could carve runes into her enchanted knives and cast some pretty cool spells, her ice manipulation just being one of the few things she could do. Without magic, she wouldn't be even able to move. Magic is about binding people together, about connecting all things into a web, and it's not always about the spells. A simple touch, making connections with others, being alive; that's pretty magical if you ask me. The orb became slightly more active and full of energy as the power flowed into it.

Air. Now we were getting into the elements that were trickier. Icicle hated flying with unrivaled passion and feared it almost as much, but air isn't just flight. Air is breath, air is weather, air sustains life just as much as water, air is what is between all the islands of Skylands and what they float in. It's also the most mysterious of all the elements, combining in ways that sometimes doesn't make sense. Icicle was slightly mysterious in that she didn't always say what she's thinking, and deep down, I think she didn't fear flying as much as she thought. The orb became slightly lighter and started to circle around in my hand.

Tech. Icicle wasn't an engineer, she wasn't the type to take apart machines or play with gears, and she certainly didn't work with technology. However, tech is also about logic, reason, and knowledge. It's about finding answers and getting one that makes sense. Icicle loved to learn, loved to spend hours in the library reading and absorbing all sorts of facts from years long since past. That part of the tech element really appealed to her, not to mention she had some basic knowledge of operating machines. The uncontrolled energy in the orb started to balance out as tech energy flowed into it.

Undead. The trickiest one by far. Undead is the element of death, of corruption, the closest element to the Darkness, something that Icicle feared above all. However, undead is also the element of strength, of the will to never give up despite a bad situation. Those who are undead have to defy every odd to return from beyond the grave and still persevere past all of that. Icicle had a lot of strength in that regard. Perhaps most importantly, however, is that undead represents that everyone will eventually find their way to the underworld. It represents mortality. Just the smallest sliver of undead energy flowed into the orb, rendering it utterly still.

Water. Water sustains life, water builds life, water comes in many forms, in many shapes and sizes. Water is calm and stormy, warm and cold, fun and deadly. Water is the oceans, the lakes, the rivers, the glaciers, the clouds, the air. Water is everywhere and for everything. Icicle is all of that and more. It's her dominate element, after all. She already had water, too much of it in fact. But water was important too. It just needed to be balanced out. Opening my eyes, I took a deep breath and plunged the multicolored orb into her chest.

I didn't know what to expect, maybe a large flash of incredibly colorful light or a slow metamorphosis as the ice changed back into flesh if it worked. If it didn't, then nothing would happen or she could explode. My rationality for the exploding was that I was basically inserting a lot of really unstable magic energy into her chest. Anything could happen with that. Instead, I blinked once and the half-frost elf warrior was standing in front of me, light green skin, pale turquoise hair, blue lips and all. She blinked once, twice and held up her hands, looking around in confusion before her eyes settled on me.

"What the hell are ye doin here?" she asked. "We've been tellin ye fer the past three weeks that portal travel hurts."

I laughed. I couldn't help myself. I had thought she'd blame me for what happened to her or that it would be super ridiculously awkward between us. I was really scared that I had gotten something wrong and that Icicle wouldn't be the same person. Instead, it was like nothing had changed. She was still the same half-frost elf warrior as before. I laughed so hard that tears started flowing out of my eyes and I flung my arms around Icicle, hugging her tight.

"You're okay, you're okay," I said. Icicle went very still, looking at me with wide pale blue eyes, before she relaxed and hugged me back, her tiny arms wrapping around my back.

"Aye, I'm fine," she replied.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm so, so sorry."

"I'm sorry too," she replied.

"I shouldn't have gone into this blindly."

"I should have told ye the truth."

"Just...just don't do that again," I pleaded. "It doesn't matter how much I need the energy. You're more important than any spell. I can't loose a friend like you."

"I won't," she answered. "I guess the responsibility of bein a Gatekeeper went tae ma head. I think we can both agree that there's a lot of blame tae go around."

"Yeah," I said, breaking the hug so we were looking each other in the eyes, my hands on her shoulders. "But if we're going to do this, if we're going to still be Portal Master and Gatekeeper, then we have to trust each other. No more secrets. I get it; I'm thirteen. I'm young. You probably didn't want to overwhelm me with everything. But I can't do this without you. I'm not a kid anymore, not after all I've seen, but I still need help. I still need your help."

"Of course ye need help, ye dolt," Icicle said, giving me a friendly punch on the shoulder. "No one's expectin ye tae do it all by yerself. Bein a Portal Master means ye've always got someone at yer back. Ye've got all the Skylanders, Hugo, Cali, Persephone, an even that airhead ballonist. Ye've never been in this alone, Jeremy. We're a team, all of us."

"So, are we still partners?" I asked.

"Of course we are," she replied, giving me a smile. "An I promise. No more secrets."

"So, is the happy reunion over?" Flynn asked. The two of us jumped and spun around, realizing that we most certainly weren't alone. All of the Ruin's inhabitants, from Persephone to General Robot, were staring at us, all displaying a wide variety of emotions. We blushed and quickly moved away from each other, realizing what it probably looked like.

Just to put it out to avoid confusion: I DO NOT LIKE ICICLE. She's my friend and partner. She's been inside my head. And she's two years older than me and an elf, not that either is really an issue, but it just doesn't seem...right.

Plus, I'm thirteen. So, yeah, no.

"See, Hugo?" Cali said, looking to the Mabu who still looked semi-shocked at, well, everything. "I told you Jeremy would find a way to bring her back."

"But how?" he asked me. "Icicle and I looked through every single record in the achieves. There was nothing." I opened my mouth, about to explain my meeting with Arasten, before I stopped. She had said that my reaction was somewhat mild compared to most and that she was usually discrete about giving help. If Ara deliberately came to me, then she must've trusted me to keep our meeting somewhat unspoken. Yes, I saw the irony in that situation. To be fair, I had a feeling that if I did say something, I'd get bombarded with questions I couldn't answer.

"He stuck a orb full of elemental magic intae ma chest," Icicle cut in. "He just sorta summoned up a bunch of magic an poof, I'm back.

"But that still doesn't-"

"Hugo, we'll get an explanation later," Cali interjected, looking directly at me. "Right now, we need to get you and Icicle to the battlefield. The Skylanders are relying on Master Eon and he can't stay materialized for long. They need their Portal Master and Gatekeeper by their side."

"Right," I agreed. I hadn't thought about anything besides bringing Icicle back, but now I could see the other reason Arasten wanted me in Skylands: to lead the Skylanders as a Portal Master should, right up next to them in battle. And speaking of battle...I glanced at myself. I was wearing a ratty teal t-shirt, black athletic shorts, and worn grey sneakers, barely having time this morning to grab a bite to eat, let alone look respectable. Even I had to admit this was pathetic.

"Is there time for me to find armor or something? I know we're short on time but-"

"We're goin intae a war zone. I'd make ye stay here if you went lookin like that," Icicle replied, scratching her head. "I'm not sure what yer goin tae find, though. Our armory was destroyed when the Core exploded an we don't have time tae make a pit stop."

"What about the tunnels?" Cali asked. "I remember there's a stash of armor and weapons almost directly below our feet, not to mention some basic clothing items."

"There is, but nothing that would really be of any use," Hugo said. "Most of what we keep in the tunnels is ancient. They're not exactly historically significant, but I don't think anything down there has been used in centuries."

"I'll take whatever I can get," I replied. "I can't really afford to be picky right now."

"Then we should hurry," Cali said. "The room should be on your direct left once you reach the bottom." She led me over to the tunnel entrance, opening the latch with one hand. After taking a quick peek into the hole, I climbed down the metal ladder, taking the rungs two at a time. When my feet hit earth again, I found the door she was talking about and swung it open. Torches instantly lit when I stepped through the passageway, revealing a large room filled to the brim with swords, shields, axes, plate mail, and everything else under the sun that had seen a battlefield. Off to the side was a large wardrobe, almost overflowing with strange garments from what looked like every corner of Skylands.

Walking over to the armoire, I flung it open and picked the first items I could find, which happened to be black pants and boots along with a long sleeved silver shirt. Moving as fast as humanly possible, I changed out of my tattered clothing and into the new ones, glancing around the room for some armor. All of the metal based ones were far too large and probably too heavy as well, not to mention everything else looked too complicated to fasten. Finally, my eyes landed on a long purple coat that was stuffed into a corner, embroidered with small stars in all the colors of the rainbow. Next to it laid a silver scabbard and an old leather belt.

Carefully taking the coat down from the hook, I slipped it on, along with the belt. When everything was finally fastened, the decorations on the coat flashed a brilliant magenta and I felt the presence of a spell being activated. I knew next to nothing about spells, but from what I could guess, it felt like something that would protect me. While it may have just been an enchanted coat, it was still better than nothing. Plus, some of the other Skylanders just went to battle in modified traditional clothing. Then again, they know what they're doing; I'm just a thirteen year old kid playing hero.

I hesitated before picking up the sword. I mean, it was a _sword._ A real life, pointy killing object that I had no idea how to use. It was in a simple silver scabbard, but inspecting it closer, I found little runes carved into the handle. So, not just a regular pointy killing object but a magic pointy killing object. Knowing me, I'd probably end up embarrassing myself in trying to use it. Or stab myself. Then again, it was a sword.

I picked up the scabbard, surprised at how light it was. Once again, I knew nothing about them, but I was sure it should have been heavier. Finding the special buckle, I strapped it to my belt, semi positive I did it correctly, and turned to leave, stopping when I caught my reflection in a large mirror along the wall. At first, I didn't recognize myself. I looked older, stronger, less like a teenage boy and more like an ancient sorcerer or a wandering swordsman. I looked like...a Portal Master. Allowing myself a smile, I exited the room and climbed back up the ladder, pulling myself back into daylight.

"Now that's a Portal Master," Icicle said, walking over to me. She looked me up and down, nodding her head in approval, her eyes resting on the sword. "I know fer a fact ye can't use that thin."

"Nope, but it looks cool," I replied. Icicle smirked and nodded her head towards the Core of Light. Hugo was punching commands into the control panel while everyone else was looking up at the machine expectantly. I swallowed. This was it. Instead of just watching the battles, I'd be a part of one. Walking up to the Core, Icicle following me close behind, I gave Hugo a thumbs up. After traveling here, I had no desire to travel by my own portals for as long as possible.

"Alright," he said, activating the Core's bubble producing mechanism with several keyboard clicks. "Next stop, the Outlands." With a small pop, a bubble formed around the two of us and we started floating into the sky, the crew down below all calling out words of encouragement. I struggled to contain my excitement of flying in a bubble and my growing fear of what we were about to do

"Ye nervous?" Icicle asked, sharpening the blade on her arm. Feeling around my thoughts, I wasn't surprised to find Icicle's mind at the edge of my own again. There are no words to describe how reassuring that was.

"Terrified," I replied, adjusting my coat. "But at the same time, a little excited."

"Well of course," she replied. "Yer goin off on a grand adventure tae save the day. Yer playin knights and princesses again."

"Except the princess can kick my ass," I admitted, not even the slightest bit ashamed. Icicle grinned and sat on the floor of the bubble. I joined her, settling down as the bubble floated along the winds, pushing us closer and closer to the dark clouds along the horizon.

* * *

See? I told you everything would be fine.

And the next chapter is gonna be good. And hopefully shorter.

Please review :)


	15. Chapter 14

Hey everyone! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. It means a lot.

So, this chapter is pretty short. A lot shorter than usual. But since the last couple of ones have been very word heavy, I think you guys deserve something a tad shorter.

I don't own Skylanders.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

~Icicle

So, you're probably expecting my perspective now, how I felt when I was being turned into an ice, what I was thinking while I was stuck in that frozen state, yadda yadda yadda.

I'm going to be completely honest with you. I don't really remember that much.

And no, this isn't a joke. You don't joke about things like this. The approximately one hour period was just a large collection of strange noises and visions that did not make a lot of sense. Every so often, I did manage to make out a specific voice or phrase, or something like getting a orb or pure energy shoved into my chest, but for the most part, I was completely disconnected from reality and my own thoughts. It was worse than when I was knocked unconscious after slamming into Earth, and that was pretty bad.

Anyways, no personal reflection today.

Wait...I just did that, didn't I?

Meh.

The bubble ride lasted a grand total of twenty minutes before we entered into the Outlands. To paint a picture of how impossible this should have been, consider this. The Outlands are called 'the Outlands' for a pretty good reason; they are literally in the outskirts of goddamn freaking nowhere. All variables aside, it takes around three days to get there from the Citadel. We managed the trip in twenty minutes, floating along at impossible speeds, defying every law of magic and science in the books.

We seemed to have been doing a lot of that lately.

"So, what do you think we'll be facing?" Jeremy asked as he adjusted his coat.

"Knowin our luck, everythin under the shadows," I replied, glancing outside the bubble. The land of the Outlands is, well, hazardous to say the least. Large volcanoes belch blue lava across blacked earth where nothing grows. Creatures that serve the Darkness, many that have no name, scour the land for challenges or weak prey. Even the skies are affected by the dark power within the tainted land, containing dark storm clouds that flash purple lightning at random moments, completely blocking the sunlight.

"Do you think the Skylanders are okay?" he asked, hesitation creeping into his voice.

"I'm sure they're fine," I replied, although I wasn't very confident in that statement either. Jeremy wasn't the only one trying to keep a brave face. I was scared out of my mind. The only difference between the two of us was I could hide it better and I had experience. Jeremy was going in with zero knowledge of how to fight, not knowing how to cast even the most basic of offensive spells, and against Kaos to boot.

I'll say this; Jeremy is a whole heck of a lot braver than me.

"Over there," he suddenly exclaimed, pointing to a large castle off in the distance, obscured heavily by black clouds and mist. Spires reached high into the sky, supported by rockets belching black smoke. In front of it, slightly more visible, was a platform that I can best describe as an army camp, built of shadowy stone, large bones, and a million kinds of black metal. Kaos' lair.

"Well, we're stormin a castle," I said, pulling up a mental image of the layout. I almost fell over in shock, not from what it showed me, but from the map itself. The last time I had used it, which was just under a day ago, the map could show anything that was stationary and fairly accurate outlines. Now, my vision was replaced with a freaking three dimensional GPS, showing the most accurately detailed map I had seen in my life. It showed the entire castle from top to bottom, complete with plumbing, electrical wiring, and every single one of its occupants in holographic detail.

I knew that the stronger the Portal Master is, the stronger the Skylander is, but this kind of jump in power is unheard of. No one gets that much more powerful simply by doing nothing. It goes against...literally everything.

Then it clicked. Jeremy was here, in Skylands. That's what made all the difference. Earth doesn't have magic, so all the energy he got for using his spells came from us, the Skylanders. Just by being in Skylands, Jeremy was absorbing the natural energy of our world like a sponge, boosting his abilities through the roof.

And the kid had absolutely no idea.

"Any idea where the Skylanders are?" Jeremy asked, peering down into the clouds. "I don't see them on the platform. Then again, I can't see much of anything right now." Still slightly discombobulated by the new turn of events, I scoured my upgraded mental map, turning and twisting it in every direction I could possibly think of. The good news was that finding the Skylanders was not hard; they all looked like mini versions of themselves that glowed in their respective elemental colors. They were all clustered in what looked like the throne room.

The bad news?

"Jeremy, did we ever tell ye about how the Core blew up?" I asked, taking down the map.

"I don't think so," he replied. "How did Kaos manage to do that anyways?"

"He had a four headed hydra larger than most islands blast it intae oblivion," I said.

"And why are you telling me this now?" he inquired before the blood drained out of his face. "It's...here...isn't it?"

"And judgin from its movements, angry as hell," I confirmed. "There's currently eight Skylanders fightin each head an Kaos is just kind of watchin the fun." Jeremy looked around and put one hand on his head.

"So, things just went from bad to worse to we have a greater chance of finding Atlantis," he said before a slight grin appeared on his face. "That's pretty good odds, right?"

"Best we've had in a while," I agreed.

"By the way, do we have a battle plan?" Jeremy asked. Oh, right, plan. That's kind of important. How were we supposed to do this anyways? If we charge in, Kaos will immediately turn the hydra on us and no amount of magic in the world could protect us from a blast like that. A sneak attack would take too long and the layout of the castle didn't leave for many other options. Think Icicle, think!

"Er...no..." I finally admitted. I am not a tactician for a reason. I can make up the craziest plans on the fly once I have a sense of my enemy. I can act on instinct in the middle of battle. Large, massive scale plans before we're two seconds away from trouble, that's not my strong suit.

"Oh."

"To be fair, it's usually the job of the Portal Master tae come up with thins like this," I said, which wasn't a total lie. Jeremy looked at me with the 'are you an idiot' stare, before shifting a little.

"Well, I do have...something," he confessed. "But it's probably the worse idea in the existence of everything."

"It can't be worse than anythin I could've come up with," I replied. "What 'cha got?"

"From what I've heard of Kaos, there's no way he could've trained the hydra and gained its trust. He's got to be controlling it with something," he started explaining.

"Yer right about that," I confirmed. "Our spies from the Mabu Defense Force found that he's got a control device built intae his throne."

"Perfect. If we can destroy that, the hydra won't be under his control and we've won the battle. We just have to get someone to destroy it," Jeremy finished. "It'll have to be a sneak attack, though. We don't want Kaos to know we're coming."

"That's actually a pretty solid plan," I said, running the idea through my head. It made a lot of sense, and was certainly better than anything I had come up with. There was just one little detail I didn't like. "The only problem is, the other Skylanders are busy fightin off the hydra's heads, which leaves one of us tae sneak intae the throne room and destroy the device-"

"While the other distracts Kaos," he finished. "And you're the only one who could possibly find another way into the throne room. Plus...well...everyone thinks that you're...dead, so no one will think to suspect you."

"But ye can't be the distraction!" I exclaimed. "Yer the Portal Master!"

"Exactly!" Jeremy said. "He doesn't respect me but I know I can keep him talking long enough for you to find the device and destroy it."

"Yer insane," I deadpanned. "Ye have a death wish an yer insane. I'm not goin tae let ye put yerself in danger like that."

"Do you trust me?" Jeremy suddenly asked.

"Of course," I replied.

"Then trust me with this," he pleaded, meeting my eyes. "I can't explain it but...I just feel like I have to do this. I have to face Kaos." Never had I seen those leather brown eyes look so determined, so focused, so willing to do something. His eyes were more of an open book than an elf's and I read them at the speed of light. Jeremy considered Skylands home. This was as much of his world as it was mine. The look in his eyes; that was the look of any warrior who had seen their home ripped to shreds and wanted to do something to fix the mistakes of the past.

And I wasn't about to deny him something like that.

"Alright, but if ye die, I'm goin tae have Hex bring ye back tae life just so I can beat some sense intae ye," I sighed as the bubble neared the castle."Ye ready?"

"Nope."

"Glad we agree," I said as the bubble popped directly at the front door. The doors had been blasted off its hinges, showing a long line of death and destruction into the castle. Blood stained the dark stone floors, the moans of the dying barely audible over the sounds of battle. From the map, I confirmed that the throne room was in the next room over. Considering I heard lots of yelping, screaming, and language even a half-frost elf like my self wouldn't repeat, we were not winning.

We ran down the long corridor, passing by several empty suits of armor and dying drow, many who cursed our very existence. Jeremy looked something between horrified and sickened but he didn't dare stop. Turning the corner, we found a set of large, solid metal doors that were shut so tight that not even a speck of air could escape from that room. Door isn't even the right word. They were several stories high and so large you could fit a hot air balloon through them with room to spare. There would be no way to get through them without everyone noticing.

The problem was, the hydra that was going to eat my friends for lunch was on the other side.

"I'll figure a way to open the door," Jeremy said, searching the outside of the door. "You go find another way in."

"Ye still sure ye want tae do this?" I asked, looking towards the corridors. Any other possible entrance to the throne room wasn't going to be close. Who knows how long it could take to find another entrance?

"Yes! Go!" he yelled. The two of us blinked at the exact same time. He looked as shocked as I felt. Where had that confident kid been for the past couple of weeks?

"Aye, sir," I responded, only half jokingly, before sprinting down the hallway. I couldn't help but grin. Jeremy was turning into a real Portal Master who was capable of commanding the Skylanders. It was pretty exciting. I didn't even mind getting bossed around.

The inner hallways of the castle don't really need to be described. Picture any creepy castle in existence, jam them all together, throw in some really tacky statues and paintings, and then remove the cobwebs. Congratulations, you just came up with the interior design of Kaos' lair. Oh, and I forgot the occasional torture device or vat of poisonous looking substance.

I wasn't paying too much to the decor, being a little more concerned with getting caught. There were a lot of...well...everything patrolling the corridors. Trolls, cyclopses, drow, spell punks, pick your favorite evil minion and it was probably there. I'm not Stealth Elf but I am a somewhat stealthy elf. And I'm small. This is probably one of the few times I actually appreciate being small. Since I was a lot shorter than just about everything, I was able to navigate the hallways without a problem.

Well, almost without a problem.

"Now, what do we have here?" a smooth voice asked. I froze (ha, ha, ha) before slowly turning around. The leader of the Dark Coven and all around annoying drow witch Malina floated peacefully behind me. She looked just as she always did, normal drow witch clothing, haunting white eyes, creepy purple skin, but for some reason, she didn't feel as dangerous as usual.

That spooked me.

"I don't have time fer this," I growled, drawing my knives. "Let's just get this over with."

"I'm not here to fight," the witch said. "My forces lay dead or dying and I have no incentive to stop you, which begs the question of why you are here. When I did not see you with the rest of the Skylanders, I thought for certain you had met the fate of all Gatekeepers."

"Jeremy found a way to bring me back," I spat, putting my knives away. "If yer not goin tae stop me, then piss off." Fuming, I turned around and started marching down the hallway. At this point, trying to kill her would just waste time and would not end well. There was quite simply no way I could possibly beat her. She's a freaking dark witch. I am an ice skater that happens to have weapons and some magic. And technically, none of our battles ended with me winning. The first one was a draw since she backed out (and I passed out) and the second had ninja intervention.

No contest. In an fair fight, I lose.

"It's so amusing," she said to my back. "You think you can actually win." That made me stop. It was against my better judgement. I didn't have a lot of time to waste. But I stopped. And turned to face her.

"I don't know if we're goin tae win," I whispered, my tone flat. "It's a shot in the dark. It's probably impossible. But I have tae believe that we can. It's part of the job."

"I know," Malina said, some flicker of emotion crossing her eyes. It looked like sadness, but it passed so quickly that if I had blinked, I would've missed it. "After all, I used to be exactly like you."

"Shut the hell up," I growled, my blood seemingly boiling. How dare she compare herself to me? "Yer a drow. Yer a dark witch. Yer the literal definition of a servant of the Darkness. How could ye be anythin like me?"

"I used to be _exactly_ like you," Malina repeated, emphasizing the word. "My mother was a frost elf. My father was a wood elf. From your accent, I'm guessing you hail from the Winter Isles in the Cloudbreak Islands. So do I. I grew up in the capital of the Ice Forest Island. I was marginalized, bullied, but I didn't let that stop me. I learned magic. I became a sorceress, the most powerful one in all the Cloudbreak Islands. And then the Swap Force came and asked for my help."

"The Swap Force?" I blurted out. "But that was-"

"Almost a hundred years ago?" she finished. "Yes. I am that old. They wanted my help and I of course said yes. I went with them to Mount Cloudbreak to help defend the Ancient Elementals. They promised that once we were done that I would be initiated into the Skylanders. I would be a heroine. That...didn't happen."

"What did?" I asked, although I had a feeling I knew the answer.

"I was captured by drow witches, believe it or not," she said. She had moved over to one of the large windows and was staring out into the dead land below. "They tortured me. Made me scream for mercy and for death. I spilled every secret I knew, broke every vow I had ever made, sold my soul several times over. Only then did they decide to turn me, handing me off to their mistress for the final step."

I didn't dare speak. Something really, really weird was going on. Real, sincere emotion was surfacing in one of the most dangerous women in Skylands. She was telling me...well...her entire life story. And I had no idea as to why.

"Those born into darkness are different than ones that chose it or are forced into it," she said with a sigh. "Being born into darkness, they never experience love, so cruelty comes naturally to them. For those that chose the Darkness, it warps their already twisted soul. And for those it forces, it turns them into a completely different person. That's why the last method is the most effective. It produces the most dangerous warriors."

"And yer tellin this because?" I asked. She turned to me, a ghost of a smile appearing on her face, before her entire body convulsed. The witch collapsed on the ground, gripping the ruby red rug with her talon like fingernails. Her eyes started flickering, shifting between drow soulless white and frost elf blue. With those crazy eyes boring into my soul, I slowly started to back away.

"Run, Icicle! Run!" she shouted, not with the dark witch's voice, but with the voice of frost elf. Her eyes now resembled mine down to the tee. "Run while ye still can! I'm what's left of the good Malina. I can't hold her down for much longer. She's been distractin ye! Run!" Like someone had flipped the on switch, I turned a one-eighty and bolted down the corridor, switching to my skates and zooming down the hallway. I cursed myself a million times over. Malina had used my curiosity and inborn politeness to keep me from moving on. She didn't need to fight me; she just needed to stall me long enough to keep me from joining the fight until it was too late.

The witch cackled loudly and a little part of me died. That good person I had seen for a spilt second was now buried deep within her infected and corrupted mind, most likely never to see the light of day again.

"Run, Icicle, run," she mocked, mirroring her good self. Her voice burrowed into my head and no matter how hard I tried to block it out, or how far away I got, she just kept talking. "Run all you want but it won't make a difference. The Dark Lady herself turned me into the witch I am today. You will watch as your friends fall to Kaos and then I will take you to her myself." I didn't stop but my blood ran cold. The Dark Lady. There was no other name that could instill that much fear into a native of the Cloudbreak Islands. The Dark Portal Master who had banished the Swap Force and almost took over Skylands a hundred years ago. She was still alive.

And just as dangerous as she had always been.

"Shut up!" I shouted, rounding the corner. Pulling up my map, I rapidly turned corners, passing by confused goblins who were carrying stacks of laundry. The next entrance to the throne room was three stories up. I found the first staircase I could and took them two or three at at time, racing to stop the inevitable.

"Why do you continue to run?" she asked again into my head. "You'll never make it in time."

"They don't need me!" I shouted, reaching the floor I needed. "They'll find another way even if I'm not there!" I threw open the door and came face to face with a large number of heavily armed trolls. Whipping out my knives, I skated into them, slashing furiously. They responded with a charge and the crashing of flails.

"Ah, but Skylanders are nothing without their precious Portal Master," she hissed before the connection was severed. I paled, trying to force my way through the crowd. I couldn't get stuck here. My Portal Master was counting on me. He was in trouble. He was facing Kaos alone without any feasible backup besides me.

Jeremy!

* * *

So, yeah, I took a lot of liberties with what happens in game. Honestly, it just makes a little more sense, even if it's not really correct.

I have no idea when the next update will come, especially because I'm going to be writing for NaNoWriMo during the month of November. I'm not technically on hiatus but it may be a while. Sorry guys.

Anyways, please review :)


	16. Chapter 15

Hey everyone! I'm back! And alive!

Sorry I couldn't get this updated sooner. NaNoWriMo took up all my time. But! I wrote a grand total of 51,598 words and finished my novel!

I hope you guys like this chapter (sorry for leaving you guys like that)

I don't own Skylanders.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

~Jeremy

I watched as Icicle, my friend and only feasible source of back up, dashed down the halls, trying to find another entrance to the throne room. That left me to stall Kaos for as long as humanly possible with nothing more than snarky young teenage wit.

On a scale from one to ten, my chances of this plan actually working were negative forty-two.

But hey, it's not like the fate of the world rests on what happens in the next few minutes, right?

Right?

I'm too young to be doing this.

Finally locating the lever to open the large set of doors, cleverly hidden as a decorative element on on of the walls, I heaved it down. With a large creak, gears turned, chains rattled, and the heavy doors slowly swung open. Shouts and roars filled the air, so strong that I almost fell over in shock. A large cloud of dust surrounded the battlefield, obscuring any trace of the Skylanders. Bracing myself for what was to come, I rushed into the space, one hand on the sword at my side.

The best word to describe what I saw, with no pun intended, was complete and absolute chaos. Magic blasts, skulls, arrows, and harpoons flew in every which way, blanketing the whole room in a dim haze. Clashes, clangs, bangs, and curses resonated throughout the room, causing a cacophony that nothing I had ever heard could rival. Master Eon's head floated towards the back of the battle, occasionally shouting out commands that everyone obeyed to the tee. The dragons, dragonesses, and other flight enabled Skylanders fought from the relative safety of the air, screeching out their attacks whenever possible. Everyone else played by the number one rule of combat: don't stand still for more than half a second.

And then I saw the hydra. I almost instantly froze in my tracks, praying to whatever deities the people of Skylands believe in. Each head was a big as a truck and each one could down me in one gulp and not even need to swallow. Thankfully, the hydra seemed more interested in the people poking its side than little old me, roaring and spouting multicolored flames in the direction of the Skylanders. It was taking all thirty-two of them, along with all the sidekicks, just to keep it from breaking free.

What ran through my head looks a little like this:

 _Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, we are doomed. There's no way we can beat this thing._

Yes, I had a mental freak out. Don't judge. What would you have done if you had seen a monster that should only exist in myth that was the size of an island?

The good news was we didn't have to beat it. We just had to get it out of Kaos' control.

Hovering above the battle from the comfort of a crystal powered throne was the Dark Portal Master himself, reclining lazily as he looked down on the people present. He looked just as ugly, just as small, and even from where I stood, smelled just as bad as the first time I had seen him. Anyone who didn't know who he was would think it possible to punt him into the next dimension. The fact that not a single Skylander was attempting to attack him showed two things. One, the hydra was just that strong. And two, attacking him would not prove wise.

The problem was, he was in control of the giant monster. And was a Dark Portal Master. And had turned his attention towards me. In fact, he was the only one who seemed to notice I was there at all. All besides Eon. The spirit glanced in my direction, nodded once in relief, and blinked back into his dimension. The elderly Portal Master had looked utterly exhausted. He must've hit his limit of what he could do.

Guess I'm facing Kaos alone.

Remind me why I thought that walking into a room with a hydra bigger than most islands and a Dark Portal Master without any knowledge of how to fight or use magic was a good idea.

"Well, well, well, the Portal Master Apprentice has arrived," he sneered, lowering his hovering throne. "You're even smaller in real life. And you look like that idiot Mabu dressed you for battle."

"At least I'm wearing something that I can fight in," I shouted back, trying to sound at least somewhat confident. At the sound of my voice, several Skylanders glanced in my direction. Catching a glimpse of me, a loud cheer arose.

"Jeremy!" Trigger Happy called, shooting off his golden guns at anything that moved and laughing hysterically. "Finally decided to join the battle?"

"How the heck did he get here?" Sunburn asked, dive bombing the green head with a fire blast. Another screech and his talons raked across its scaly hide.

"He opened up a portal, burn brain. How else was he supposed to get here?" Cynder retorted, sending out a lick of dark electricity directly into the blue head's eye. The monster recoiled and shot a blast of high pressured water, causing everyone to scatter.

"Alright! Now the party's really getting started!" Terrafin called, giving the red head of the hydra a swift punch right in the neck.

"No way we can lose now!" Whirlwind cheered, blasting the undead head of the hydra with a burst of multicolored light. Spinning into the air, she sent a wave of rainbows over the Skylanders, healing various wounds and mending broken bones.

"Let's get back to work, Skylanders! No more slacking off!" Spyro commanded, giving me a wink before charging the hydra's blue head. I grinned at seeing them all alive, if a little battered. Maybe this wouldn't be completely impossible. That's right. I wasn't alone at all. I had all of the Skylanders backing me up. I was their leader. I leave them to fight what they can, they leave me to fight what I can.

"I'm not a Portal Master Apprentice, Kaos," I shouted, steadying myself. "I might be young, but I'm a real Portal Master, just like Eon, and just like all the Portal Masters before me. The Skylanders support me, trust me, and have chosen me as their leader. They won't let you win and neither will I. I'm here to stop you for good."

"Stop me, ha! That's funny," Kaos laughed, cackling in that high pitched voice that could make babies cry as the battle raged around us. "You're just a puny little kid. Do you really think you, some little no one from Earth, can stop someone as awesome as me? Why don't you go crawl back to your mommy and let those of us who actually know what their doing handle the fighting?"

"My mom is dead!" I shouted, the words spilling out at the mention of my mother before I could stop to think. How dare he mention her. How dare he! He knew nothing about me. He knew nothing about her! I balled my hands into fists, feeling my anger rising. My entire body was trembling. No one insulted my family like that, no one. I had a sword. He wasn't that far away. He wouldn't be laughing once this was in his chest.

"Stop this nonsense," a voice whispered into my ear. Immediately, my growing rage dropped and I felt some reason come back to my head. "You have to outsmart Kaos. He's trying to rial your anger, get you to charge him. You're dead if you do that. He's got enough dark magic to blast you back to Earth if you try anything. Don't let him get to you. You're stronger than this."

The voice faded until the sounds of battle ringed in my ears once more. I looked out of the conners of my eyes. There was no one standing next to me, no one that I could see. No one could see her. She couldn't materialize as a proper ghost, her soul unable to picked up even by a member of the undead. And yet, I knew she was there.

Call it a Portal Master's intuition.

"Thanks, Ara," I whispered. I took a deep breath and let it out. Right, I had to stay calm. I had to keep Kaos occupied. Icicle was on her way. Keep him talking.

"Boo hoo, your mommy kicked the bucket," Kaos lazily dismissed. "Big whoop. News flash, no one here cares."

"She died when I was young," I continued, my voice growing stronger. "I never got to meet her but my dad always said that she died a hero. She died protecting other people. She wouldn't want me to run away and leave it to someone else. She would want me to stand up for what is right, against people who want to spread darkness and fear. I don't care if I can't fight. I will find a way to take you down."

"That's lovely," Kaos sarcastically drawled, pushing a few buttons on his throne. The hydra roared and started attacking the Skylanders with renewed vigor, sending off waves of strange and powerful magic along with the attacking heads. Several of the Skylanders were swept off their feet, struggling to keep the monster at bay. "Look, Apprentice Portal Master. You have a rag tag team of some of the weirdest fools in Skylands, while I have armies and a hydra and dark magic. There's no way you can win, you ignorant fool. You're not even from Skylands."

"That doesn't matter," I shouted, bracing myself against the wave of magic. "I've met some really amazing people here, all who would risk their lives to save this wonderful world. I've made some of the greatest friends in the universe. I've seen things that should be impossible and I've opened portals through space and time. Skylands is as much of a home to me as Earth."

For all the confident things I was saying, I was more than a little nervous. Where was Icicle? I couldn't keep this up for too much longer. Kaos was getting bored and the rest of the Skylanders couldn't take their attention off the hydra to attack the Dark Portal Master. As for me, I didn't know the first thing about using offensive magic. Heck, I don't know anything about anything offensive.

I was a sitting duck.

Kaos, for all his stupidity, seemed to be catching onto this fact too.

"Oh really?" he asked, sitting forward a little. In his left hand swirled an ugly mass of purple and black magic, belching smoke that smelled like sulphur and rotten eggs had a baby. "Well, let's see how you fare against something like this!"

"Run!" Ara shouted as he fired it off with a cackle.

I didn't need to be told twice. I bolted around the edge of the room, my feet flying underneath me as death rained from the sky. The blast struck the wall, sending chunks of rock raining down around my heels, burning with a pitch black flame. More blasts came my way, each one inching closer and closer to my exposed back. I ran faster. I couldn't let it hit me. Even I knew how dangerous the Darkness was: one hit like that and it's over.

And that's if I get lucky. If I'm not lucky, I'm going to end up like Kaos: a Dark Portal Master. Believe me, I know my odds and they are not very good.

"Protect Jeremy!" Spyro shouted, diving to my aid. Blasting a fire ball in Kaos' direction, he managed to distract the power hungry midget long enough for me to sprint for cover. In response, Kaos pushed several buttons on the throne. Roaring, the hydra reared one if its heads and fired a beam of shadows, smacking the purple dragon clear out of the air. Spyro hit the ground with enough force to crack the stone floor.

Cackling, Kaos waved his hand. A swirling mass appeared, a portal almost identical to the ones I made, and out popped Kaos' twelve goons. You know, the ones that mimic the Skylanders powers almost exactly and made out of pure elemental magic?

Only comment to that: shit.

The Skylanders sprang into action, their attention now divided between the hydra, the minions, and protecting me. The problem was that the minions seemed to have only one goal: stop anyone from helping me so that Kaos can kill me. Again and again, they knocked back the Skylanders if they even looked in my direction, flinging them into walls and pillars with a sickening crunch.

This was bad. This was really, really bad. We were massively outgunned before. Now?

We are almost certainly doomed.

" _Icicle, where are you!?_ " I mentally shouted, hoping and praying that our mental link had been restored. If she doesn't get here soon, there wouldn't be a plan; there would just be corpses and corrupted Skylanders. The only way this will work is if it ends now.

" _In the middle of somethin!"_ she shouted back. I breathed a small sigh of relief. Good, she was alright. For the most part. Her thoughts and feelings kept referencing battle rage and trolls. " _Give me three minutes and I'll be there!"_

" _I don't have three minutes!"_ I yelped, dodging another blast of darkness. " _I don't think I have three seconds!"_

" _At the rate I'm goin, neither do I! Don't ye dare die on me"_ she irritably retorted before the mental link was severed.

Well, that can't be good.

Stay alive for three more minutes.

Sure, no problem.

Easy peasy.

"Duck!" Ara shouted as a blast went over my head. Dropping to the ground, I rolled into a ball as inky blackness spilled onto the wall and floor. I got to my feet again and ducked behind a pillar, pausing for a fraction of a second to catch my breath. Never before had I been so grateful for cross country and track but this was using up all the adrenaline in my body.

I didn't register the blast that destroyed the pillar until stone was piled around me.

I wasn't sure what was bruised, what was torn, and what was broken. All I knew was that literally everything was screaming in pain. I wasn't bleeding too badly (thank the heavens for spell armored coats) but I could barely even think straight.

"Get up!" Ara shouted almost directly into my ear. "Kaos is two seconds from making you like me! By the Ancients, get up!"

Surprisingly, that was enough motivation. I tried to move my fingers. They moved. Next came the hands, arms, legs, feet, and toes. Everything still was attached and working, if painful to move. I tried to turn myself over and almost screamed. At least one rib was cracked, probably more. Considering all things, I got off fairly lucky.

The giant orb of darkness in Kaos' hand suggested otherwise.

"Well, this has been fun, but I really must get back to destroying the Skylanders," Kaos almost lazily commented. "Have fun being painfully turned to the Darkness, Portal Master Apprentice." With a maniacal laugh, he lobbed it in my direction.

Time stopped for a fraction of a second.

I didn't see my life flash before my eyes. I didn't see tunnel going into the light. I didn't see the face of death. I didn't see angels or darkness or ghosts or whatever your supposed to see when you're about to die.

I saw an image of myself, standing tall and proud, but it wasn't quite me either. The other me was wearing the same get up I was, but he had muscles, broad shoulders, and was considerably older, probably late teens. The image cocked its head, kneeled down next to me, and patted the sword at my side.

"You gonna use that thing?" he asked, giving me a wink. The image smiled and blinked out of existence.

So.

I'm hallucinating.

But can't argue with that logic.

Reaching over to the sword at my side, I gripped the handle, feeling a small pulse of magic running through my veins. I don't have any other options. It's now or never. In one smooth motion, I pulled it out of the scabbard.

Now to try and describe what happened next. Because I still am not entirely sure.

Light spilled out of the sword as it broke free of the sheath, bathing the area around me in a glowing halo. All of my aches and pains went away, my ribs no longer screaming in pain. I held it up, gazing at the runes carved into its blade and handle that were now glowing a bright violet. An aura erupted around my body, lighting up the stars on my coat in a rainbow of luminescence.

In slow motion, I watched the orb of darkness come into range. Springing to my feet, my body twisted on its own and I slashed in a diagonal motion. A purple blade of magic cut through the air, slicing the malignant darkness in two. There was a massive explosion, one that sounded throughout the battlefield and knocked Kaos' throne backwards.

"WHAT!?" he shrieked, leaning forward, his face contorted in rage. "You dare attack me, Poser Master!?"

"I am not a Portal Master Apprentice!" I shouted, holding the sword aloft. I felt power surging through my blood, but it wasn't overwhelming. It was a peaceful sort of power, the power that comes from love, justice, responsibility, and mercy. "My name is Jeremy Aronwen and I am a Portal Master!"

And just like something straight out of an action film, Icicle leaped from the throne room's balcony and struck her knives into the throne's control panel. The sound of static filled the air, combined with the roar of the hydra as it retreated back into the floor, no longer under the Dark Portal Master's control. Icicle gave me a wink before jumping into open air just as the hovering mechanism broke into a thousand pieces. She gracefully twirled to a stop as Kaos landed in a heap behind her.

Everyone's jaws fell to their knees. Including Kaos' minions who turned and fled out of the throne room.

"What's with the fish faces? Ye look like ye've seen a ghost."

"ICICLE!" everyone shouted, swarming the little elf. The elven Skylanders fought their way to the front, piling on top of her and smothering her with hugs. There was laughing, crying, shouts of confusion, and just overall celebratory cheering. I smiled and put my sword back into the scabbard. The aura faded away and I walked over to the group, only to get tackled myself. I hit the ground, laughing my head off.

"I told you our Portal Master would come through!" Gill Grunt exclaimed, clapping me on the shoulder. "Good job, kid."

"Jeremy, you are by far either the stupidest person I have ever met or the bravest," Lightning Rod said, giving me a friendly punch to the shoulder. "Because that was simply incredible."

"You didn't tell us you were a battle mage," Spyro said, tilting his head a little.

"I'm...a what?"

"A battle mage, someone who has a natural ability to use magic to bolster their combat abilities," the purple dragon explained. "In simpler terms, your magic helps you fight better than you could alone."

"Well, I didn't know until now," I replied with a shrug.

"Don't worry. There are several battle mages in Skylands. We'll find someone who can teach you," Spyro said with a smile. Clearing his throat, the Skylanders turned towards him. He gave a look in the direction of Stealth Elf, Flameslinger, and Whisper Elf, who were all piled on top of Icicle, and quickly got to their feet. "Alright, people, let's get out of here."

"What about Kaos?" Chop Chop asked.

"Bring him along too," the purple dragon replied. "Just keep him under wraps." The undead and magic Skylanders grinned, using their combined powers to get a cage around the Dark Portal Master. Let's just say he was screaming obscenities so foul, I don't really want to repeat them. Or remember them.

With a wave of my hand, I opened up a portal back to the Ruins, the magic flowing as easily as water. One by one, everyone hopped through the swirling mass, the Skylanders dragging the glowing cage and Kaos along with them. I jumped through last, feeling a shock run through my system. The portal spit me out onto the Ruins' lawn and closed with a pop.

I guess I still need some practice before I can travel though my own portals.

"You're back!" Hugo shouted, running over to us. "I can't believe it. You guys actually won! Not that I thought otherwise." He took one look at Kaos and smirked a little. "I know just what to do with him. Follow me. I made some adjustments to the Core of Light while you were away."

"Fools! Release me at once or face your unimaginable doom! Do you really think that this cheep magic trick can hold me!" Kaos screamed as we approached the Core. "Eon, I know you're here somewhere! Go ahead, send me back to the Outlands! It won't do any good. I'll just keep coming back again and again until Skylands is mine!" Eon's head appeared just above the Core, smiling a little shrewdly.

"Actually, Kaos, you're not going to the Outlands this time. I have something more fitting in mind for you" he replied, looking to his Mabu assistant. "Hugo, would you please?" The Mabu smiled in return, pressed a combination of buttons on the control pad, and Kaos was shot into the sky, screaming his revenge to the world.

And we all went ballistic.

By the Ancients.

We won.

We saved Skylands.

For good.

"Hey, everyone, we just completed a team wide mission and saved Skylands," Spyro announced with a wide grin on his face. "You know what that means?"

"PARTY TIME!"

Oh, this was gonna be good.

* * *

Yeah, the next chapter is gonna be a little weird. But hey, they deserve it.

Please review :)


	17. Chapter 16

Hey everyone! I bet you were thinking this would be the last chapter.

Psych! It's not! I've still got one more to go before we're done with part one.

Yes, part one. You read that right.

I don't own Skylanders.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

~Icicle

Skylander logic is interesting. It takes nearly a week to get a properly operating army camp for when Kaos is threatening to take over Skylands and destroy us for good, but it takes less than an hour to set up a party for the ages that could accommodate literally a hundred people.

Guess we all know where our priorities lie.

Though, to be honest, that really doesn't surprise me.

"We'll get food!" Camo and Ghost Roaster shouted, the two of them rushing off to the mess tent we had set up a few days back.

"Leave decorations to us!" the dragons cried, leaping into the air and zooming off to the other side of the island.

"Trigg, think you can be DJ again?" Gill Grunt asked. The little gremlin only laughed in response and bolted for the tunnels. With a slight eye roll, Gill raced after Trigger Happy, dumping his harpoon gun beneath a tree and dragging off a rather confused Jeremy.

"Alright guys, let's get a dance floor ready!" Slam Bam roared to those of us who remained. A massive cheer rose from those remaining and everyone started moving various boxes, barrels, and miscellaneous debris out of the way, laughing and joking to each other. Glancing towards me, the four armed yeti gave me a smirk and ruffled my hair with one giant hand.

"Good job, little sis," he said. "Just don't ever do that again."

"The Gatekeeper part or the savin yer ass part?" I asked, giving him a slight grin.

"The 'I have to do this alone' part," he replied. "You're smarter than that. Now, let's get this stuff outta the way."

"Aye aye, si-" My airway was cut off as someone yanked the neck of my dress, sending my feet flying and my senses on high alert. I gasped for air and frantically looked up, my eyes scanning the scene. Flameslinger was to my right, Hex to my left, and Whisper Elf right in front of me. That meant there was only one other person who could be possibly restricting my air supply.

"Sorry, Slam Bam. She's ours for the next hour or so," Stealth Elf called, dragging me away from the Core of Light. "Besides, she can't lift anything heavier than a brick and you know it!"

"What'd I do this time!?" I exclaimed once I got enough air into my lungs, trying (and badly failing) to wrench her hand off my dress. This girl had one hell of a death grip. "I said I was sorry!"

"We are doing the brotherhood-sisterhood rite before you go off and give all the magic in your body to another person," Stealth Elf said with an exasperated tone, tightening her grip and choking out any air I had hoped to take in. "And after this morning, I'm not about to let you skirt this by helping out with party supplies."

Stumbling over my feet, I flailed my arms and dug my heels into the ground in a pathetic attempt to actually gain traction on the lawn. Needless to say, the plants seemed to interpret my plea for help as a sign to make my life even harder and I slipped on a particularly precarious patch of ice (I guess the area where I had stood as an ice sculpture still hadn't melted). Whisper Elf cheerfully skipped behind me, her eyes closed in a manner that should have been adorable, but was somehow slightly terrifying.

"That's not going to work," she said in a singsongy voice.

"I said I'd do the rite!" I pleaded. "An didn't we already do it yesterday!?"

"We performed the unofficial version," Hex reminded. "The true rite is far more binding and an important part of our culture, you know. It would not be wise to delay it any longer."

"Can ye at least let me get air intae ma lungs!?"

"Eh, breathing is overrated," Flameslinger said with a wide grin splitting his face.

"Burn in hell, ye bastards."

"I have been there before. I found it rather charming."

"Shut up, Hex," I grumbled as Stealth Elf finally dropped me at the base of a large tree. Getting to my feet, with any regained pride from saving the Skylanders now burned to ash and scattered to the winds, I took a look at my friends. Hex's cloak and gown were ripped so badly it looked like she was wearing a dress of black rags. Stealth Elf and Flameslinger were both still visibly bleeding in certain places, having tied off the wounds with nothing more than bits of cloth. Whisper Elf simply looked like she had been through a battle with a meat grinder. I probably looked no better, since I had fought enough trolls to populate a large town (never thought I'd ever say that sentence casually).

But we were alive. By some miracle or just sheer dumb luck, every single one of us was alive, if battered and exhausted beyond belief. I guess I really am quite lucky. I have the best friends in the entire world. We had been through hell and back, supported each other, stood up for each other, and stood together despite the circumstances. We were already family. We were already siblings. This was really just a formality.

I have to admit, though, it's a pretty important formality, to be honest. If I could tell you just how important and how sacred this rite is, I would be here for a week and a half. Let's just say that this rite is of equal importance as the naming ceremony of an adult wood elf and miles more important than a marriage.

"So, are we goin tae do this or what?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Hex said as she took off her headdress and sett it gently on the earth below. Stealth Elf and Whisper Elf removed their face masks and Flameslinger dropped his blindfold to the ground. I shook out my hair, letting ice crystals fall onto the grass. Silently, we moved into a circle, just close enough to reach out and touch the person next to us with a single finger.

"We stand together this evening, beneath a tree of great power and majesty, the source of life and strength for our people, to perform a ceremony that stretches back to the time of the Elder Elementals," Hex began, reciting the ancient lay from the depths of her memory. "Since the elves awoke beneath the World Tree, we have set all of our most valued traditions in the shade of arbors to make our agreements as valued as our respect for nature and the stars. Today, we stand to perform the rite of brotherhood and sisterhood, one of our most ancient and binding traditions. To be made brothers and sisters is to become true kin. After today, not just in name, but truly in blood shall we all be related. Keep this in your thoughts and answer truthfully when I ask if you wish to partake. Stealth Elf?"

"I wish to be joined as a sister to all present," she answered calmly, placing her hands together and formally bowing. "Save, that is, to Flameslinger. I wish to be considered nothing more than a stranger to him." I looked at her with wide eyes. I couldn't believe what she saying. I knew that they had performed the rite before, so they were already were siblings, but this was unheard of. She was _retracting_ her kinship to him? Was that even possible? If it was, that was just incredibly insulting.

What in the world did I miss?

"Very well then," the undead sorceress said. Strange as it was, neither she nor the archer seemed very surprised from her statement "Flameslinger?"

"I wish to be joined as a brother to all present," he responded, more serious than I had ever heard him, but he had a smile upon his face. "Save, that is, to Stealth Elf. I wish to be considered nothing more than a stranger to her." The two of them exchanged glances and both looked about ready to burst out laughing. Ah, that makes more sense.

You can't exactly date your sibling, now can you?

"Whisper Elf?"

"I wish to be joined as a sister to all present," she said in her high, light voice, a wide smile splitting her face.

"Icicle?" Hex finally asked, looking to me. I gave her a grin and took a deep breath.

"I wish to be joined as a sister to all present," I replied.

"And I too wish to be joined as a sister to all present," Hex finished. "Let us begin." With those last words, she raised her hands, her palms facing the sky. One by one, each of us mirrored her exactly until we stood like ancient statues guarding riches beyond our wildest dreams. Softer than a butterfly's wing flaps, Hex started to speak in the language of magic, the words spilling out and enveloping us in a tight web of white energy. Little purple tendrils shot out her hands, her very essence, and joined with the web. Next was Stealth Elf's, a dark green. Then Flamslinger's, a fiery red. Then Whisper Elf's, a light olive color. Then mine, a bright icy blue.

They swirled around us, joining together, mixing, weaving, combining. Before my eyes, I watched events of all my friends play out, from the best days of their lives to the absolute worst. I saw their little quirks, their habits, their every like and dislike. I saw many secrets, ones that even to this day I will not repeat. I felt their memories and experiences become a part of me, no stranger than if I had done them as well.

For many minutes we stood there, basking in the strange and ancient magic, feeling our souls join as one. As the spell continued on, the magic swirled faster and faster, the previously white light now tinted in many greens, blues, purples, and reds. With a large pulse of energy, large tendrils shot out of the web and hit my palms. My vision blurred and when it finally cleared, the only thing I saw was the equally confused expressions upon the faces of my...siblings.

Not friends anymore. Siblings.

Somehow, everything and nothing had changed.

"Now that we are finished here, I think I will go and find Whirlwind and a new gown," Hex said, picking up her elaborate headdress. "I suggest you do the same. Whisper Elf?" Placing it upon her head, she floated off with the little elf scurrying after her.

"That ritual gets weirder each time we perform it," Stealth Elf grumbled, shaking her head furiously before placing her face mask back on. She looked in my direction and her eyebrows shot up. "Now, I just saw a bunch of weird stuff, but please tell me you're joking about the flying thing."

"Somehow, I 'ave a feeling zat she is not," Flameslinger said, giving me a strange look.

"Oh, ye saw that," I said, my face turning beet red. Right, they could see my memories too. Whoops. "I wasn't plannin tae tell ye guys about that until later."

So, just to make this less confusing, let's back up to when the Skylanders had me pilot the warship to the armory. I should've been scared out of my mind. Heck, I was scared out of my mind for the first half hour or so. But then...well...I realized that it's _fun._ Up in the clouds, the wind blowing through your hair, and the freedom to go wherever you want to, it's just so exhilarating. I can see what makes flying so addicting now, even if I'm still slightly afraid I'll fall to my death.

Anyways, the reason why everyone is so confused is because I want to become a pilot.

"You're an elf!" Stealth Elf exclaimed. "Elves aren't supposed to be piloting ships! We're supposed to remain on the ground if at all possible. And you're scared to death of it!"

"It's not so bad when yer the one at the controls," I replied. "Besides, I got tae get over ma fear of flyin eventually. I just thought I'd call up ma cousin Avril an get some lessons on how tae be a pilot. She's one of the best in the Cloudbreak Islands. I talked tae Spyro about it when we were comin back from the Arkeyan Armory an thinks it's a great idea."

"Well, good for you," Flameslinger said, giving me a friendly punch on the shoulder. He swiftly tied his blindfold around his eyes once more and flashed me a grin. "Tell your cousin zat I say 'ello."

"Yeah...here's the thing," I sheepishly said. "He kinda wants everyone tae learn how tae pilot so this doesn't happen again...especially the two of ye."

"WHAT!?"

Let's just say I joined the party doing the fastest footwork you've ever seen.

~Jeremy

Just how big of a celebration did we end up throwing?

Well, considering we had beaten our greatest enemy and banished him permanently out of Skylands to Earth (maybe? I couldn't hear Hugo's explanation over all the shouting), we decided to host a celebration that would go down in history. Throw it all together everything we could find on the island and poof!

Insta-party!

(Just don't ask me what we had to eat. No offense to either Camo or Ghost Roaster, but human stomachs are just not meant to handle Red Spirit Pie.)

It was safe to say I was in the direct spotlight for almost the entire night. All the females on the island, even those who didn't even have hands, found a spot as my dance partner at least once. Some of the guys even got a turn. Trigg played everything from waltzes to tangos to the Skylanders version of the Cha Cha Slide, which is basically the same general movements to different words. I also got my first taste of Skylands pop songs and I gotta say, they are a million times better than anything we've got back here on Earth.

Out of everyone, though, I danced with Icicle the most. We must've hit the floor together at least seven times in between Stealth Elf's and Flameslinger's attempts to beat her into the floor. I had to admit I was a bit skeptical about her becoming a pilot, and even more so about the rest of the elves, but if she wanted to go down that path, I wasn't about to stop her. It also served for some great entertainment.

However, once Spyro announced they would be playing Elemental Limbo, I quickly slipped away from the commotion. I like parties; I really do. I like dancing and hanging out with friends near the punch bowl (except this time around, the punch looked slightly acidic). Ultimately, though, I'm more of a stay home on the weekends kind of guy than a life of the party kind of guy.

That, and I'm pretty sure I'd end up dead from the way the game is set up. The bar was belching fire. _Belching. Fire._

Nope, nope, nope, and nope.

I ran down the stairs and onto the beach, just wanting to get a few moments to myself. Away from the party, the night was still, the wind whistling between the islands as it went on its way. The stars twinkled overhead, not a constellation in the sky that looked even remotely like the ones back home, and yet, I could still find polaris at due north. I guess some things always stay the same. Jogging along the seaside, I slowed down as I neared the entrance to the crypt. Standing in the open doorway was none other than Ara herself, wearing her steampunk inspired outfit with her goggles atop her raven black hair.

"Needed to get away from everything?" she asked, throwing me a grin. I chuckled a little and ran over to her, my feet pounding through the slippery sand. Flopping down onto a rock, I rested my back on the cliff.

"They're playing Elemental Limbo. I'd rather not feel like a steak today," I replied, giving her a sideways glance. "I thought you said you wouldn't be back for a while."

"Well, not on Earth, anyways," she sniffed. "Barely a drop of magic on that rock of yours, not nearly enough to manifest for long periods of time. Skylands is different. Here, I can come and go as I please. And you're welcome about earlier."

"Yeah, that was not my brightest idea," I sheepishly replied, scratching the back of my head.

"Wasn't bad for your first time, though," she said, chuckling a little. "You're a little rough around the edges, but with a little training, you'll get to where you need to be. A Portal Master and a battle mage. Who would've thought?"

"I just feel kind of bad," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I'm their only Portal Master and I can't be around permanently. I've gotta get home eventu-Shit! It's gotta be almost midnight! I've been gone for hours! My dad is going to kill me!"

"You'll figure something out," Ara laughed, her ghostly figure looking about ready to double over. I frowned a little. It wasn't that funny. I was going to be absolutely dead, or at the very least grounded for life. Still giggling, the Portal Master wiped away ectoplasmic tears and straightened out. "I wouldn't worry too much, Jeremy. You're a smart kid. And you're not the only Portal Master. There are others out there."

"You think so?" I asked while simultaneously wondering what excuse I could use to get out of this one. It's not like I could explain to my dad that I had gone to a different world to fight off a super evil guy with magical powers. Maybe the library has a spell book for making people believe your explanations no matter now lame or unrealistic. I can think of a lot of different uses for something like that.

"I know so," she smirked. "You'll find them. Portal Masters are more attracted to each other than magnets. You're bound to find _someone_."

"With my luck, I'm not so sure about that," I muttered. Her words did make me feel a little more hopeful though. There were other Portal Masters, other kids or teens or even adults who had the same powers I did, other people who could help the Skylanders in their, our, fight to keep this world safe. I would just have to go out and find them. Easier said than done, of course, but I wasn't about to give up.

"Say, what's the deal with this sword?" I asked, picking up the enchanted blade. "I know that it's magic, but this sword is more than just your average enchanted sword. It showed me a vision during the battle. I saw myself but it wasn't me at the same time. It was-"

"An older, stronger version of you," Ara finished. I nodded my head. With a single ghostly finger, she traced each of the runes inscribed upon the blade. "You're right, this isn't an ordinary sword. It's name is Lightbringer This sword is almost as old as I am. It was forged to help and heal others. It's going to show you how to win a battle and if you don't cooperate, it will make sure that you come out alive."

"Wow," I breathed, looking over the silver blade. Now that I actually had a chance to look it over, I realized that it was truly a magnificent weapon, one that was lovingly made with utmost care. The silver blade reflected the light of the moon, making it seem almost like a star that had been brought down to the ground. "How many people have used it?"

"You're the third."

"Third!?" I exclaimed in disbelief. "This sword is almost ten thousand years old and I'm only the third person to use it!?"

"Well, the person who forged it wielded Lightbringer for quite a while," she explained. "Unfortunately, after he died, the sword was lost for millennia before it's previous owner found it deep within the Morlen Jungle."

"And that person was a Skylander," I mused, looking out towards the sea. "Do you think Lightbringer choses who wields it? Maybe that's why no one could find it for so long. It was just waiting for the right person."

"I think you may be correct," Ara replied, glancing up to the top of the cliff. Multicolored lights flashed with the night as a backdrop, painting the sky in whimsical shades of yellow and green. The music had gotten quite a bit louder and the shouting rowdier. Had someone found alcohol? Where they even allowed to have alcohol? I was betting on no. "They're probably wondering where you ran off to, you know."

"I know," I said. "But won't you be lonely?"

"I've been alone for the past ten thousand years," she said dismissively. "Besides, there are plenty of ghosts in the crypt. I think I might pop into the underworld once I'm done here. I've got some people I haven't seen in a few millennia that I need to talk to."

"Well, then I'll see you sometime?" I asked, hoping down onto the sand. Ara smiled and reached into her pocket. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed me something. I caught it with both hands, completely shocked that I could catch it at all, and turned it over a few times. It was a whistle that you might see a coach have around their neck, but it was made out of bone. I didn't want to think about what type of bone it was. I probably didn't want to know.

"If you ever need me, blow that," she said, turning towards the skeleton gate. "It was nice talking to you again, Jeremy. This really is goodbye for quite some time."

"Ara, who was the Skylander who wielded this sword?" I called as she was about to enter the gate. She paused before the iron wrought structure and glanced over her shoulder. Her dark eyes met my own and she smiled a little, her expression warm, if a little teasing.

"Someone who would be proud to see you with it now," she cryptically answered, before disappearing into the side of the cliff. The gate shut behind her with a clang, leaving the area as empty as if no one had been here for years.

"So this is where you disappeared off to," a female voice said. I jumped and looked around before my eyes settled on Cali. The female Mabu waved once she saw me and put on her signature smirk. "Everyone's been looking for you. Come on, we're about to set off the fireworks."

"Be right there," I called, running over to her. We walked back up to the main part of the island, chatting about finding me some magic and combat tutors. She said she knew some folks who might be able to get me some lessons. Reaching the area that had been converted to a dance floor, a bright flash filled the air followed by a large blast. I looked up. Beautiful fireworks filled the skies, flashing in all the colors of the rainbow. There were swirls and shapes and ones that fizzled and made sounds like popping popcorn. Everyone oohed and ahed, watching the sky light up with colors and making small talk. I simply leaned against a tree and enjoyed the show.

We still had a lot to do. We were by no means done. We may have won the war but it would take years before everything was back to normal. This wasn't over yet. And I still had a lot of questions I needed answered, ones that I wasn't sure even had answers.

But for now, fireworks sounded off and announced to all of Skylands that we were safe, that we had won, and that all was good.

After all, sometimes you just have to celebrate.

* * *

Well, we've still got one more to go. And I haven't written a really happy chapter in a while, so this was a nice change of pace.

Please review :)

AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!


	18. Chapter 17

Hey everyone! And yes, this is the actual final chapter of Heroes. I know, I know, it's sad. But all good things must come to an end eventually.

That being said, I hope you guys like this chapter.

As per usual, I don't own Skylanders.

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

~Icicle

Of course, things didn't stop after that night. Life keeps chugging along, even if you don't want it too. Most of us wanted that party to last forever, but the truth is, it couldn't. We had to move on. We had won the war, but in reality, that was just one piece of the large puzzle that we had to put back together. It would be years before we recovered from. We had saved our home, but we had paid the price.

What would be known in years to come as the War of Chaos had lasted a little over a month and had affected every corner of Skylands in some way. In that time, thousands had been directly killed because of the fighting, thousands more indirectly, and so many were injured that they couldn't all be counted. Almost a million people had been displaced and were just wandering the skies, searching for a place to call home while many of Kaos' minions still roamed free. Combine that with enough property damage to bankrupt entire governments and you can see why everyone was hesitant to call it a victory.

Still, you gotta start from somewhere. And the best part of starting from rock bottom is that you can only go up.

"Hey, Ice! Toss me that wrench!" Drobot called. I lobbed it over to him and the tech enhanced dragon caught it, using a combination of the tool and his teeth to tighten a new section of roof into place. Picking up a magical carving tool, I got back to work chiseling rune combinations that would give the walls protective qualities. It was a painstaking task that made me want to gouge out my eyeballs at times, but it was giving me some well needed practice with how runes worked.

Not to mention it was a lot better than mixing concrete.

"Skylands to Icicle, anyone home?" I blinked and looked up from my work. Cynder sat next to me, casually admiring her claws and giving me a sideways glance. I just about jumped clear out of my skin. I had been so absorbed in my work and thoughts that I hadn't even heard her land on the scaffolding. My ears must be getting rusty.

"Aye, sorry Cynder," I apologized, setting down my tools. "What was that ye were sayin?"

"There's someone at the docks for you."

"Fer me?" I asked, scratching my head. "I wasn't expectin anyone."

"She says she's from the Cloudbreak Islands," Cynder continued. "A frost elf from the look if it. Someone named Avril."

"Avril!" I exclaimed at the mention of my cousin. "What are ye watin fer? Let's go!" Without waiting for an answer, I jumped on the dragoness's back and settled myself between her wings. Cynder glanced back at me and rolled her eyes a little, but a smile was upon her face. With a small sigh, she extended her violet wings and took off into the sky.

I felt a little like I could sprout my own wings and just fly straight over to her ship myself. Avril was here! My cousin, the first member of my family I will have seen in almost a year, was here! And she was going to teach me how to fly!

"Will you stop bouncing!?"

Whoops. Calm down, Icicle. I took a deep breath and looked down to the island, observing everything taking place down below. About a week had passed since we took on Kaos and things were finally back into full swing. People were coming and going at all hours of the day and requests were pouring in faster than Tigg can find gold. Every corner of Skylands was asking for help, be it dealing with small pockets of cyclopses, rescuing avalanche victims, or reuniting families. Business as usual for a Skylander. Anyone who wasn't performing their usual duties was helping rebuild the Citadel and everything in the surrounding area, and there was enough work to keep us busy for years.

Thankfully, there were plenty of Mabu construction firms who were willing to be paid in favors. Because we were simply flat out broke.

We passed over a few of those crews as we flew off to the docks. They were too occupied with constructing the walls for the main building to pay much attention to us. Hammers rang, sawdust flew, and drills whirred as the construction teams worked to restore the Citadel to its former glory. Already it was looking like home once again. The debris from the destroyed buildings had been cleared and the foundations ripped clear to make room for something far more sturdy and blast-proof. Apartments were going up as we spoke and personal houses were being repaired, everything going up brick (or stone block, or wood panel) by brick.

Passing over the training yard, one of the few places that was almost completely rebuilt, I caught a glance of Jeremy. He was sparring with Chop Chop, blocking the Arkeyan's blows with a practice saber. Clashes rang out from the meeting of their swords. The undead warrior would strike from various angels and the young Portal Master would intercept with one of his own. After a few repetitions, the two would switch places, with Jeremy going on the offensive.

"Keep your chin up. Your opponent's sword is not going to be striking at your boots," Chop Chop said as Jeremy sloppily blocked one of the skeleton's slashes. The Portal Master growled and with a glint in his eye, blocked the next one with immaculate precision. Smiling triumphantly, he glanced upward and met my gaze. He flashed me a grin.

"Hey Icicle!" he shouted, giving me a quick wave. Chop Chop took the opportunity and tapped the flat of his blade against Jeremy's shoulder. The Portal Master turned into a punch right to the gut. He wheezed and doubled over, falling to the ground like a sack of rocks. I should've winced like a good friend.

I laughed my freaking ass off instead. Because true friends laugh when you screw up and then help you get back on your feet. That's just how things work.

"Distraction in battle means death," the warrior hollowly said, sheathing his blade. "Perhaps ten laps around the island will help focus your mind." Jeremy groaned, somewhat in pain and somewhat in embarrassment, and got to his feet. With a sigh, he exited the yard and started off at a swift jog around the perimeter, muttering some newly learned Skyland's oaths under his breath.

"See ye later," I called, still snickering a little. "And do ye kiss yer mother with that mouth?" Youth overconfidence. Both a great blessing and a terrible curse. And always entertaining.

Why am I talking? I'm fifteen.

Still, it really was incredible how much he had grown. In less than a week, he had learned the basics of sword fighting and performed like it was second nature to him. Then again, as a battle mage, it really was second nature to him. Combined with a magical sword that seemed to have a mind of its own and the abilities of a Portal Master, there didn't seem to be anything he couldn't and wouldn't learn. It wouldn't be long before we'd have to find a real battle mage to train him.

For now, though, Chop Chop seemed perfectly fine training the thirteen year old.

Jeremy just looked like he wanted a teacher who didn't routinely mess up his internal organs.

"Ah, here we are," Cynder called as we approached the dock. She turned in wide arc, lazily spinning in a large spiral as we descended to the ground. I got a good look at the ship and it confirmed that whoever the pilot was, it was definitely someone from the Cloubreak Islands. I'd recognize that sleek, air cutting design anywhere, even if the ship looked like it was made for carrying cargo rather than passengers. With three wing flaps to slow her decent, the dragoness landed on an open patch of land, barely disturbing a single blade of grass.

"Thanks, Cynder," I called as I leaped off her back. The violet dragoness chuckled and shot back into the sky, her silhouette passing over before disappearing into the clouds. A sound caught my attention, something that resembled a door opening. My head whipped to face the source and before I knew what happened, my feet were flying across the lawn.

"Avril!" I shouted, jumping several feet into the air and tackling her into a hug as she walked into daylight. Avril yelped in surprise and then laughed as we hit the deck of the ship, rolling and wrestling like we were little kids. The two of us collapsed in a heap, giggling madly and hugging each other like we were afraid to let go. With a wide grin on her face, Avril gave me a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"An how's ma little cousin doin?" she asked, ruffling my hair. I punched her back with an equally ridiculous grin on my face.

"I'm only four months younger an ye've only got three inches on me," I smirked, my smirk fading to a pleasant smile. "It's been forever, Avril."

"Aye, and that's not nearly lon enough," she laughed. Pounding feet sounded from across the dock. The two of us turned to see Hugo running as fast as he could, which is not very fast, over to the two of us. At the sight of Avril, his spirits rose and he looked positively glowing with joy.

"Ah, you must be Ms. Avril," he said to my cousin, breathing heavily as he came onto the ship. He set down a case bursting with papers and extended his arm. "I'm Hugo, Master Eon's former assistant and current keeper of the records and-"

"Ah, don't be so formal," Avril said with a grin, enthusiastically shaking the Mabu's hand. "I've heard all about ye from Ice's letters. An any friend of ma cuz is a friend of mine."

"Thank you so much for agreeing to be our flight instructor, at least until Flynn gets back from...well, it doesn't really matter," Hugo said, smiling sheepishly. He looked a little taken aback by Avril's enthusiasm and more than a little embarrassed about the whole situation.

"No problem. An I got the supplies ye asked fer in the hold," Avril replied, sticking a thumb towards the doorway. "Real Cloudbreak stone and hardwood alon with everythin else under the sun. I've got a friend deliverin the rest next week."

"Thank the Ancients," the Mabu breathed in relief. A weight seemed to be taken off his shoulders and a little more light returned to his eyes. I couldn't blame him. He had enough to do that I wondered if we should hire Hugo an assistant. "Well, I've got to get back to getting all the paperwork sorted out but I'll send some of the contractors over to get everything off the ship. I promise we'll get you your pay as fast as possible."

"Sounds good tae me," Avril said. "It's was nice meetin ye."

"It was nice meeting you to," he said, adjusting his glasses and smiling. Picking up his briefcase, the Mabu ran down the ramp and off to another part of the island. Avril watched him leave, chuckling and shaking her head.

"Wonder if I should tell him this is the Cloudbreak Island's way of sayin thanks fer the help," she commented.

"He'll get it eventually," I replied, not surprised in the least. "Want tae get a look at the island fer yerself? I'll give ye the grand tour."

"Sure. I've always wanted tae see the Citadel with ma own eyes," she said. The two of us walked down the ramp and I directed her towards a path that circumnavigated the perimeter of the island.

"Yer lookin amazin, Ice," Avril said. "I've never seen ye hold yer head this high in ma life. Pretty soon yer goin tae be the stuck up one of the family."

"Say that again an I'll throw ye intae Mount Cloudbreak maself," I teased as we strolled along, passing Mabu neck deep in repair work. "I though ye weren't comin fer another two weeks."

"The shipment came in early," Avril said, looking towards the buildings going up in the distance. "I can see why ye need it. An I thought home was bad."

"Home?" I asked, feeling the blood drain from my face. "What do ye mean by home? What happened?"

"Ah, damn, wasn't supposed tae mention that," Avril cursed, sighing a little. "Kaos sent trolls and drow, Ice. The Winter Isles weren't hit too hard but a lot of other places weren't so lucky. Once Whirlwind and Sonic Boom arrived, though, the battle was pretty much over before it started." She looked at my face and quickly continued. "We're fine now. I swear on grandma's grave, we're fine."

"Why didn't ye or maw or da or _someone_ say somethin?" I demanded. Trolls and drow across all the islands of Cloudbreak? That wasn't just bad, that was widespread _destruction_. "If I knew thins were that bad, I would've come an helped!"

"That's the point, Ice," Avril said. "Ye would've come an ye would've stayed. Don't ye dare argue with me, ye know I'm right. Ye'd do anythin fer yer people and we all know that. But yer a Skylander now. We can't ask ye tae do somethin selfish like that."

"How is helpin ma people selfish?"

"The Cloudbreak Islands know how tae deal with invasions, cuz. The rest of Skylands doesn't. They needed ye a lot more than we do."

Unfortunately, I couldn't argue with that.

But how could I have been so stupid to not realize what was happening?

"Sorry fer brinin that up," Avril apologized. "Ye've probably got enough on yer plate as is."

"I was goin tae find out eventually," I sighed, smiling a little. "I'm just glad it was from ye, Avril."

"So, how's about that tour?" she asked, putting a grin on her face. I rolled my eyes and started pointing out what I could along the path, everything from Persephone's hut to the main building going up. While I showed her the place I now called home, I took the opportunity to get a better look at my cousin. She still had the same ice blue skin and dark red hair as always, with her lime green eyes as bright as a summer lime. Her outfit was new, as was the muscle in her arms. Decked out in a full body suit of protective armor, with a helmet to boot, she looked ready to spar with the best of our fighters.

"First time I've ever seen ye in that, I commented as we came up near the train tracks. "Yer da's finally lettin ye fight?"

"Aye, but every one in the damn capital still thinks I'm a little kid!" Avril said exasperatedly, throwing her arms into the air. I could almost see the steam puffing out of her ears. "An my family's the worst of them all! I'm sixteen, not six! Ye got tae be in yer village's guard at fourteen and what do I get? A chance tae finally ride the snowmobile! Bah! They're never goin tae take me seriously."

"If I can find somethin, ye can find somethin. Ye'll find a way tae show 'em," I reassured, an idea popping into my head. "What about the annual Snowbrawl?"

"Yer full of slush!" Avril laughed, smacking me over the head. "A sixteen year old frost elf girl? Win the Snowbrawl? Against yetis an some of the only good cyclopses in the world? Yer funny." She paused, tapped her chin twice, and then looked back at me. "It'd definitely show 'em though. What weapon do ye think I should use?"

"A fish?" I joked and got smacked again. We turned at a small bush that hadn't been cleared away yet and two of my favorite elves came into view. Stealth Elf and Flameslinger were helping plant flowerbeds and shrubs to replace the ones obliterated in the battle. Their ears twitched in unison and they looked up, their faces falling at the sight of the person standing next to me.

"Hey Stealth Elf, Flameslinger, I'd like ye tae meet ma cousin Avril," I said. "Avril, these are two of ma new siblins."

"I think ye mean two of ma new students," she smirked. "Hope ye three don't mind the 'drop the kid in an see id they swim' technique. I don't have a lot of time." I stifled a grin. In my opinion, Avril is one those people who can make you laugh one second and make you want to piss your pants the next second. I knew my cousin was saying that for her own pleasure but I had never seen Stealth and Flame look so terrified in my life. "Lighten up. I'm just messin with ye."

"Frost elves," Stealth Elf sighed, pinching her brow. "I swear, everything you guys say is meant to give others heart failure."

"When you said zat zis girl would not be like you, you were not kidding," Flameslinger remarked, wiping sweat off his forehead. "I zink I just saw ze face of death."

"Eh, we've got tae do somethin tae warm our hearts," Avril said with a smile. "It's good tae know that ma cousin's got some good siblins beside her."

"And it's good to know she's got a good family back home too," Stealth Elf replied. "But there is no way in hell that you are going to get Flameslinger and me to be pilots."

"Eh, I've got three months before I'm needed back home. I'll figure somethin out," Avril said with a grin.

"We are officially doomed," Flameslinger declared somberly before his smile brightened and he turned in Avril's direction. "So, you are one year older than Icicle?"

"Not anymore," the frost elf said. Wait. What? I gave her a funny look. She gave me an equally odd look back. "It's the end of August, Ice."

Oh. Right. The fifteenth was a little over two weeks ago. Whoops.

"Wait, back up a sec, are you saying we missed your birthday!?" Stealth Elf exclaimed. "Birch bane, why didn't you tell us!?"

"I...kinda...forgot maself," I confessed, putting a hand behind my head. Everyone groaned. "In ma defense, we were tryin tae save Skylands from complete an utter doom."

"Birthdays are important, Ice. We would've found a way," Stealth Elf said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Well, it's kinda hard tae celebrate somethin when ye forget it's the day," I replied.

"No matter. Tomorrow, we will 'ave a party and celebrate your seize anniversaire," Flamelsinger declared. "I will bring ze balloons and tell Whisper Elf and 'Ex."

"Agreed," Stealth chimed in. "I'll see what I can do about food."

"Count me in," Avril said. "I've got plenty of games on board ma ship,"

"Ma place at five, then?" I asked.

"It's a date," everyone said in unison before collapsing in giggle fits. I couldn't help but grin madly. I really was lucky to have these people by my side, my blood siblings and my cousin and my friends and just...everyone.

"Ah, we've been quite rude," Stealth Elf said, turning to Avril. "Well met, cousin, and welcome to the Citadel, or what's left of it at least."

"Well met as well," Flameslinger added, bowing at the waist.

"It's like being around yer mum," Avril muttered to me. I giggled under my breath. "Well met, cousins. An I don't mind the appearance. Even like this, the Citadel is simply amazin. But what exactly happened here? It looks like someone took the biggest bomb in Skylands an dropped it overhead."

"Well...you're not half wrong," Stealth Elf replied as she launched into the short version of the battle at the Citadel. Flameslinger said nothing but sat down and leaned up against a bush. I couldn't blame him. Maybe Stealth Elf didn't mind talking about that day, but I was trying not to bring up that memory as well. I wasn't ready to think about the day that our lives had changed forever. I wasn't sure if I'd ever be ready to think about the day that Kaos had basically won, stripped us of our powers and flung us through space and time.

It wasn't just the fact that we had almost died. Bringing up that day also brought up scenarios that none of us wanted to think about. What would it be like if we hadn't been so lucky? What would've happened to us, to this world, to it's people? What would've happened if we hadn't found Jeremy, or if he had refused to be our Portal Master, or I didn't take on the powers of a Gatekeeper? What if we had failed the second time around?

The thing is, I knew. We all knew. It would be like those two weeks we were gone. It would be the Cloudbreak Islands when the SWAP Force disappeared. It would be like when Nefarion ruled over Skylands. It would be like the Arkeyan Empire when no one dared to speak out and fight back. It would be a world of darkness, hatred, fear, and sorrow.

Or would it? Would some other heroes have risen up to take our place? Would another Portal Master have been found to lead the armies of Skylands in battle? Would sorcerers and witches and warriors and mages and assassins and misfits from islands big and small banded together to reclaim the world they called their home?

I'm betting on yes.

"Stealth, Flame, Icey!" a voice shouted, interrupting Stealth's monologue and my philosophical train of thought. Everyone looked up to see Whisper Elf rounding the corner, jumping up and down like she had eaten an entire bowl of sugar. "Come on! You have to see this!"

"Just a second, Whisper. And you really should say hello to Icicle's cousin first."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry, but you have to go to the docks! Spyro's back! And he's got new Skylanders with him!"

"New Skylanders! Why didn't you say so?" Stealth Elf said, her tone lightening and sounding even somewhat excited. "Let's go!" The two ninjas took off running with Flameslinger leaving trails of fire in his wake. I jumped, summoned my skates, and shot after them, creating a rink down the path.

"We'll be back soon!" I shouted over my shoulder. Avril just chuckled and gave me a salute, breaking into a run herself. I grinned and turned my attention back to the path. Catching up with my blood siblings, we all put on another burst of speed and made for the docks. From all sides of the island, Skylanders flew, ran, teleported, and floated, dropping everything and converging towards where our new teammates were waiting.

There's no one thing that makes us Skylanders. Some of us are large and strong; others are small and fast. Some are brilliant and good with technology; others are wise and better with magic. Some can fly, some can swim, and others yet can burrow underground. We're elves and land sharks and Gillmen and gremlins and skeletons and fire golems and dragons.

We're all different in every way imaginable.

But hey, heroes come in all shapes and sizes after all.

* * *

And so we end this chapter of the story. But it's far from over. This is only the beginning. As soon as I can, the next part of this saga will be uploaded as a new story.

Thank you so much to everyone who has helped me through this process, whether it be reviewing, watching, favoriting, or just reading. It means the world to me.

This is Lunrav14 signing off for now, but I will be back, along with Icicle, Jeremy, Arasten, and a new face or two in the future.

And once again, thank you!


	19. Part Two!

PART TWO IS UP!

It's called Among Legends!

Go check it out! (please)


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